The Los Angeles Lakers have been one of the most active teams being mentioned in trade rumors this season. In a recent episode of “Buha’s Block“, Lakers insider Jovan Buha fetched a potential three-team trade between the Lakers from a fan, featuring the Nets and the Heat.
First, we take a look at the trade proposal put forward by the fan.
Proposed Trade Details
Los Angeles Lakers Receive: Nic Claxton, Andrew Wiggins
Miami Heat Receive: Rui Hachimura, Gabe Vincent, No. 55 Pick (LAL), 2028 pick swap (LAL)
Brooklyn Nets Receive: Maxi Kleber, Jarred Vanderbilt, Dalton Knecht, 2031 first-round pick (LAL), 2030 pick swap (LAL)
The insider reacted to the proposal by saying:
“We will primarily look at this from the Lakers’ perspective, but we will look at it from all perspectives. The Lakers are getting Nic Claxton and Andrew Wiggins; they are getting their starting center and their starting three-and-D wing. But, they’re sending out Rui, Gabe, Maxi, Vando, and Dalton, as well as their first and their pick swaps.”
Buha remained quite doubtful about the value of the pick swaps, considering that they are simply optics thrown in to make the trade look better. He then passed the question to Anthony Irwin to analyze the trade.
“Because Jarred Vanderbilt’s contract is one of the more negative assets out there,” Irwin responded, emphasizing the length of his contract being an issue. “I don’t think the Nets would be interested in taking on Vando… Basically, the Lakers would have to throw another pick swap out there, or they would not be able to protect the first that they sent to Brooklyn in that case.”
“Claxton is someone who is going to have a lot of value around the league,” he added. “If you send out Claxton and you bring back one of the worst contracts in the sport, then you have to get paid for it.”
Irwin was very critical of Jarred Vanderbilt‘s contract, and for a valid reason. The forward still has three years on his contract, with $11.5 million owed to him next season.
With an average of 4.1 points and 5.1 rebounds per game last season, the Lakers’ forward doesn’t inspire much faith in his ability to impact a team’s success. While also considering his injury history, Irwin’s concerns were justified.
Buha addressed the impact the deal would have on the Lakers by saying, “I think that the Lakers get the two best players in the deal, and they plug both of their starting holes with, I’d contend, probably the two best, realistic targets that are out there. So I think the Lakers probably do this.”
The fact that the Purple and Gold would need to empty their entire war chest of assets to ensure the success of this trade was addressed by Buha as well. But he also acknowledged the potential upsides in the starting rotation, which would see major boosts in rebounding, length, and defensive capability.
While discussing the bench rotation, Buha acknowledged the immediate shortfall in talent. But he also added that the Lakers’ taxpayer MLE could be vital in helping them sign a reliable big man to round out the rotation.
Should the Lakers succeed in landing Claxton and Wiggins in this trade, they would need to ensure they get a solid rotation center with the MLE. Players such as Clint Capela and Steven Adams have been closely linked with the Purple and Gold as potential targets using this mechanism.
The connection with Claxton has been one of the primary talking points of the Lakers’ offseason. At 6’11”, the 26-year-old is a mobile young center with tremendous defensive instincts and lob threat potential – a perfect fit for the Lakers’ profile of center.
His averages of 10.3 points and 7.4 rebounds per game may not make him a dominant force in the post, but he has shown the signs of being a solid pick-and-roll center.
Meanwhile, recent trade rumors have seen Wiggins linked with the Lakers. Given his skillset, the forward would be a more than ideal replacement for Hachimura, especially considering his ability to create shots for himself while also locking down on defense.
Wiggins is also a legitimate three-point shooting threat, fulfilling all of the Lakers’ needs from their starting wing player. With an average of 18.0 points and 4.5 rebounds per game last season on shooting splits of 44.8% from the field and 37.4% from the three-point line, he could be lethal on a side featuring LeBron James and Luka Doncic.
Overall, both Buha and Irwin agreed that the trade would be beneficial for the Lakers primarily. Although the Heat and the Nets would consider, a primary factor in deciding such a trade proposal would be the value associated with the pick swaps, and how much salary the Heat can shed by letting go of Wiggins.
