In this proposed blockbuster 3-team trade by Eric Pincus from Bleacher Report, the Lakers would land Marcus Smart, Luke Kennard, and four more players, while the Grizzlies and Nets walk out with players and assets.
Lakers Receive: Marcus Smart, Luke Kennard, John Konchar, Xavier Tillman Sr., Dorian Finney-Smith, Trade Exception ($10.5 million)
Grizzlies Receive: Rui Hachimura, Gabe Vincent, Jaxson Hayes, Harry Giles III, 2029 First-Round Pick Top-10 Protected (LAL), Trade Exceptions ($8.3 million, $2.4 million, and $1.9 million)
Nets Receive: D’Angelo Russell, Jalen Hood-Schifino, Trade Exceptions ($14 million, $2 million)
This trade would be extremely complicated to execute and is unlikely to go through, but this is a phenomenal outline for a trade that will allow the Lakers to switch over their roster at the cost of one first-round pick. Other included teams also make marginal improvements that can help them both in the short-term and the long-term.
The Lakers Get Better By Flipping Most Of Their Roster
This deal sees the Lakers give up five players from their roster to receive five similarly rated players that could help their case this season. The key asset here is Marcus Smart, who averaged 14.5 points, 4.3 assists, 2.7 rebounds, and 2.1 steals over the season. Smart was brought in to keep the Grizzlies competitive during Ja Morant’s 25-game absence, but he couldn’t help the team stay afloat without Morant. He’s suffered multiple injuries in Memphis already and is out for the next six weeks, making this the perfect time for the Lakers to try and pounce.
Kennard is a shooting specialist but has bounced around the NBA in recent seasons due to his inconsistency. He’s averaged 8.6 points on 41.3% from three this season and could be greatly assisted by the open shot the Lakers shooters tend to generate but not convert. Konchar is another option on the wing for the Lakers while Tillman is a usable backup big man.
Dorian Finney-Smith is one of the key acquisitions, as the Lakers’ frontcourt defense will greatly improve by having a veteran like DFS around. Smith is also a reliable corner shooter, exemplifying the qualities the Lakers need in a 3-and-D wing. He’s averaging 9.6 points and 4.7 rebounds this season while shooting 40.9% from three, and the Lakers have already shown an interest in acquiring him.
The Grizzlies Reset Their Roster For A Push Next Season
The Grizzlies don’t have much to play for this season, with even a best-case scenario being a play-in tournament appearance without their star Ja Morant. Morant was ruled out for the season after undergoing shoulder surgery, so the Grizzlies could use this year as a soft reset. They’ll have a high-lottery pick and can maintain Desmond Bane and Jaren Jackson Jr. while creating the nucleus of a new roster for Morant to come back to.
Rui Hachimura is averaging 11.6 points and 3.6 rebounds in an undefined role on the Lakers, but he could greatly benefit the Grizzlies’ lack of frontcourt depth as a versatile forward. Jaxson Hayes fills their need for a bruising center and Gabe Vincent can perform a similar role to Smart’s as a backup guard for a fraction of the price. Given the short-term contracts all these players are on, the Grizzlies could realistically add more assets in smaller deals to move them away if they wanted to.
Pincus suggested a protected 2029 pick that would become second-round pick if it didn’t convey, but the one alteration I’d make is that this pick should be unprotected. Smart is a former Defensive Player of the Year and the Grizz parted with two picks to land him in the first place. Acquiring that along with the trade exceptions can give the Grizz the pieces they need for a major acquisition down the line after they know where in the lottery their 2024 pick will fall.
The Nets Finally Get A Point Guard
The Brooklyn Nets have needed a guard option not named Spencer Dinwiddie since they traded Kyrie Irving last season. Dinwiddie is a great scorer, but the Nets already have pure scorers such as Cam Thomas who would benefit more from playing that role. Dinwiddie is not the floor-setter that Brooklyn needs, but there D’Angelo Russell could be that. Russell’s playmaking has improved since his All-Star years with the Nets in the late 2010s. A homecoming to reunite him with Dinwiddie might be the way for Brooklyn to take incremental steps back up the Eastern Conference.
The Nets don’t own their pick this season, so tanking to the bottom of the East holds no value to them. Adding Russell, who’s on an affordable short-term contract would be great. Russell gets to prove if he still has value on a team familiar with him while the Nets get to see if a combo guard like Russell can help run the offense and make Mikal Bridges’ life easier. Russell is averaging 14.7 points and 6.1 assists this year in a down season.
Jalen Hood-Schifino is a high-potential guard whom the Lakers cannot extract full value out of with their current timeline. They don’t have the on-court minutes that he needs to develop his game, so the Nets could take a flier on him and see if he can be a long-term piece for the rebuilding franchise that can’t tank because they don’t own many of their future picks.
Is This Trade Deal A Winner?
Eric Pincus put a lot of thought into this deal. Despite the sheer scale of the amount of moving pieces, this shouldn’t be a traditionally ‘expensive’ deal. The best player the Lakers are receiving is an injured Marcus Smart and Dorian Finney-Smith. neither players of the caliber of Dejounte Murray and Zach LaVine. But this deal does add more defense, shooting, and a hopefully better fit than what the Lakers have right now. Their locker room seems affected by the negativity around the franchise this season, so a refresh like this may be what they need.
The Grizzlies may find more value by keeping Smart and hoping they can succeed next season. But an on-court fit playing Morant, Smart, and Desmond Bane seems hard to figure out, especially for a long playoff run. Moving off Smart in a year they’re writing off while adding assets for future deals could be a very shrewd move and allow the Grizzlies to rebuild their roster after two seasons of struggles.
The Nets have valued Dorian Finney-Smith highly and getting a player like D’Lo along with a young prospect like JHS is good value. It’s unlikely teams are waiting in line to fork out draft picks for the 31-year-old forward, so trying to get a player that can help them right now in D’Lo and a future piece like JHS is quite a decent return.
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