The Los Angeles Lakers have lost five out of their last six games and are currently on a four-game skid. Before this 1-5 run, the Lakers were pushing for the top four in the West and are currently sitting in 10th place, just one game ahead of the Golden State Warriors. The West is too deep for any team to be taking chances with their chances in the top 10, as one of the current teams is bound to fall out as the Warriors make a run.
The Lakers’ offense has been a big point of concern, The team has an offensive rating of 112.2 this season, good for among the bottom five in the NBA. They need scoring help to arrive fast, especially with D’Angelo Russell’s current struggles. To address the same, they could look to a familiar trade partner in the Utah Jazz and pick up one of their pieces as they look to shape their future roster.
Lauri Markkanen is the trade piece everyone will be fighting over, so the Lakers can sweep in for Collin Sexton and give the Jazz a package of picks and players to make the deal happen.
Trade Details
Utah Jazz Receive: Gabe Vincent, Jalen Hood-Schifino, 2024 Second-Round Pick (LAC), 2027 Second-Round Pick (LAL)
Los Angeles Lakers Receive: Collin Sexton
The Jazz don’t have a young point guard in their lineup right now and Jalen Hood-Schifino helps them with that while helping Sexton finally make winning contributions as a spark plug on a contending team.
The Jazz Continue Building Out Their Future Team
The Jazz are very much still in a transitional phase after getting rid of Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert in 2022. Lauri Markkanen was too good for them to be in the Victor Wembanyama sweepstakes, so the team has to continue building out their young pieces. They’ve made three solid draft picks this season and could add another 2023 Draft prospect to their lineup as the youth start to take over this team.
Jalen Hood-Schifino hasn’t been in the rotation for the Lakers this season. The team simply cannot afford to groom a rookie point guard with what they’re aiming to do. Instead of stowing him away while he matures, the Lakers could trade his upside to the Jazz, who have the flexibility to give players a greater opportunity. JHS was considered a high-potential pick, so maybe the Jazz can drive that out of him.
In the meantime, they can also get a veteran guard to keep the players in line like Gabe Vincent. Given his playoff experience, the Jazz could find some other team to take him on for more assets. Sexton has been good for the Jazz, but he doesn’t look like a key piece in their rebuild given his 23.2 minutes average this season. Moving off him for assets would be a win for them.
The Lakers Get The Spark Plug They Need
The Lakers thought that their scoring issues would be remedied by having the likes of D’Angelo Russell and Austin Reaves. That’s primarily why they thought to diversify their guard lineup by going for someone like Gabe Vincent. But Vincent can’t come off the bench and take control of the offense like Sexton can. His ability to go scoring with tunnel vision is a gift that nobody on the Lakers has.
Despite a restricted minutes load, Sexton is averaging 15.1 points, 3.5 assists, and 2.8 rebounds this season. He won’t be the primary playmaker, but the Lakers have options for that including Russell and Reaves, both of whom have taken an undoubted step forward with their passing this season. Sexton can come off the bench and score in bunches, or be part of super-charged offensive lineups where James is the primary playmaker. It relieves LeBron James in Year 21 of a heavy-scoring load and can make up for the times when Anthony Davis isn’t scoring at a high volume.
Sexton missed out on the chance of playing with LeBron in 2018 when the Cavaliers drafted him right before James left for LA. If the Lakers make this trade, they will become teammates and Sexton will be expected to be a difference-maker, especially on a short-term contract as he still is aiming for the first big contract of his career.
This Move Pushes The Lakers One Step Closer
We know that the Lakers will be a sound defensive team no matter what. Anthony Davis is playing at a DPOY level, and the team has proven defensive weapons such as Jarred Vanderbilt and Cam Reddish in the mix as well. Sexton won’t help them out on that front, but he will help the Lakers add a lot more spice to their offense. He can play both on and off-ball, looking like the ideal fit on a Lakers team that needs point guards that can score in a variety of ways.
Even for cold spells, the Lakers have insurance with Reaves and Russell on the roster as well. The three players likely create a floating lineup where we’ll see all three play in either one or both the guard spots. But if a scorer like Sexton is on the roster, the Lakers could ask Russell to focus on his playmaking, one of the strongest skills he’s shown this season. The versatility would be scary, though the defensive prowess of these three players will worry many.
The Lakers haven’t been able to fully rely on their defense this season, even if it’s always in or around the top 10 in the NBA. Adding Sexton gives them that scoring piece that should keep them in games a lot longer than what we’ve seen over December.
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