The Los Angeles Lakers are hoping to take a huge step forward with the same core roster that was eliminated in the first round last season, but with new head coach JJ Redick at the helm of the team. Outside rookie Dalton Knecht, the Lakers haven’t added any pieces that could contribute to improving the team this season. They’re taking a big bet on Redick’s coaching being the difference for them instead of moving personnel, even though adding a rotational big man is something Redick desires.
The Milwaukee Bucks are stuck with a roster with limited flexibility around Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard, especially with no assets to make improvements or add depth to the roster. But if they’re willing to part with one rotational piece, they could add two contributing players that’ll give them a better chance at contending.
With the Brooklyn Nets expected to tank this season, a 3-team trade featuring them with the Lakers and Bucks could get all three teams to where they want to go.
Trade Details
Los Angeles Lakers Receive: Bobby Portis
Milwaukee Bucks Receive: Dorian Finney-Smith, Day’Ron Sharpe, 2025 Second-Round Pick (LAC), 2027 Second-Round Pick (LAL)
Brooklyn Nets Receive: Jarred Vanderbilt, Maxwell Lewis, Pat Connaughton, 2025 Second-Round Pick (LAL), 2031 First-Round Pick Swap (MIL)
The Lakers add a shooting big man who can play alongside Anthony Davis while keeping the floor spaced out while the Bucks add two major contributors at the wing and backup center. The Nets could derive future value from Jarred Vanderbilt, with his injury situation likely keeping him out of the team to start the season, allowing the Nets to continue tanking with a talented prospect.
The Lakers Add The Perfect Archetype To Their Roster
When you look at the Lakers roster right now, it’s clear that the only real weakness the team has on paper is their big-man position. They have solid guards and swingmen to fill out a rotation, but the best options behind Anthony Davis are Jaxson Hayes, Christian Wood, and two-way signing Christian Koloko. That isn’t enough to compete in the West, especially with the big-man play the Denver Nuggets, Dallas Mavericks, and OKC Thunder possess.
Bobby Portis averaged 13.8 points and 7.4 rebounds last season, playing primarily off the bench and making a profound impact during his minutes. He’s better-suited to be a center positionally due to his poor perimeter defense skills, allowing him to take that spot and Davis to return to his preferred power forward role.
This also allows LeBron James to be a small forward, adding a versatile weapon like Rui Hachimura to the bench alongside players like Knecht and Max Christie.
Davis reportedly wants to play with another big man, so adding Portis would not only satisfy Redick but also their star big man. It also allows LeBron another big body to rely on as well, previously being forced to play center when Davis was injured and spending last season as a power forward.
The outgoing players and picks are relatively low-impact, especially with Vanderbilt missing most of last season and expected to start this season injured as well.
The Bucks Add Depth And Picks
The Milwaukee Bucks are always one or two injuries away from their roster collapsing in on itself, with their lack of depth causing back-to-back first-round exits for the 2021 NBA Champions. It doesn’t look like Khris Middleton will suddenly overcome his injury issues or that Giannis will be able to endure an 82-game season without getting hurt.
As a result, moving off Portis to add depth with two solid players and replenishing their stack of second-round picks might be one of the only real moves the team can make this season.
Finney-Smith averaged 8.5 points and 4.7 rebounds last season, but his numbers aren’t indicative of his true ability. DFS is the perfect role-player for a winning team, as he thrives playing off stars who can create open looks for him.
Playing alongside Giannis guarantees more open looks, and the Bucks have a point guard like Damian Lillard to be another perimeter offensive threat, giving Smith even more opportunities to shine as a corner shooter and hard-nosed defender.
Day’Ron Sharpe is a 22-year-old center who averaged 6.8 points and 6.4 rebounds last season. He’ll provide a spark off the bench behind the 36-year-old Brook Lopez. While Sharpe won’t stretch the floor like Lopez, he’s a hustle big man who plays with a lot of energy and crashes the boards. He could be a post-Lopez option for the franchise as well, depending on how his game develops in Milwaukee.
The Nets Load Up For A Tanking Season
The Nets started the process of bottoming out this summer when they traded Mikal Bridges to the New York Knicks for a massive pick haul to add to the assets they received when they traded Kevin Durant to the Phoenix Suns in 2023.
They sent some of the Suns picks they owned to the Houston Rockets to get control of their 2025 first-round pick back, indicating that the Nets were ready to tank and hopefully land a franchise-changing player in the stacked 2025 NBA Draft.
The Nets have no reason to keep Dorian Finney-Smith, as the 31-year-old veteran forward would be a far better player on a contending team where he can use his winning intangibles to benefit them.
In addition, Day’Ron Sharpe might be a longtime backup on the Nets behind 25-year-old center Nicolas Claxton, who was extended by the franchise till 2028 this summer.
Jarred Vanderbilt averaged 5.2 points and 4.8 rebounds in an injury-riddled 2023-24 season, while Maxwell Lewis is a former second-round pick with a high ceiling that the Lakers likely won’t be able to maximize.
Pat Connaughton will have to be a salary dump to the Nets, but his 5.6 points, 3.1 rebounds, and 2.1 assists average shows he can be a decent rotational fit without altering the team’s ceiling too much. It further reinforces the team’s desire to get a top pick in the 2025 Draft and would be the best way forward to rebuild the team into potential contenders down the line,
A Trade Where Everyone Can Win
Most NBA trades see one team as a definite loser while another team as a definite winner. That won’t be the case in this deal, as all teams have the same likelihood of this trade not working out.
The Bucks almost traded Portis for Grant Williams last season, so this is a far better move for them as it lands them two legitimate rotational players who can enhance their roster, along with second-round picks that the franchise doesn’t have. The move could go wrong with them missing Portis’ production, but it could go great if Smith and Sharpe are the winning players they’re advertised to be.
The Lakers add the stretch big they need to enhance the core around LeBron and Davis, while the Nets consolidate their roster for what’ll be a tanking season. All teams have an avenue to success as well as failure, which is how you know a trade is very well-balanced, as this one is.
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