The 2023 NBA Draft brings with it one of the most exciting days of the offseason, as player movement finally takes shape after draft night. Even though we have already had big trades sending Bradley Beal to the Phoenix Suns and Kristaps Porzingis to the Boston Celtics, we still have a lot more to come over the course of the day and especially during the draft.
The Los Angeles Lakers are primed and ready to parlay their Western Conference Finals run from last season into another push to the championship, with LeBron James and Anthony Davis leading the squad. James will be in Year 21, so having more help around him is crucial, especially to ensure his body doesn’t break down during the season. AD may not be that old, but even he needs people around him to complement his play or pick up the slack when he’s missing time.
The Lakers have young players and sizable contracts to move this offseason, with the No. 17 pick in the 2023 Draft in their hands as well. So, how could they utilize their assets and assemble a contending squad after the moves teams like the Grizzlies and Suns have made around them?
Lakers Land Two Players They Wanted For A Long Time
The one trade everyone has been discussing for ages with the Lakers is their acquiring Myles Turner and Buddy Hield, both from the Indiana Pacers. The deal was extremely popular while discussing what the Lakers should do with Russell Westbrook and still remains a viable choice, albeit with different assets at play.
Trade Details
Lakers Receive: Myles Turner, Buddy Hield
Pacers Receive: No. 17 Draft Pick, Malik Beasley, Max Christie, Mo Bamba
Myles Turner is easily one of the best fits the Lakers could find for their roster on the market. He would be a perfect fit alongside Anthony Davis in the frontcourt and can ensure the Lakers have a rim protector that can shoot the ball with most lineups. Turner averaged 18.0 points, 7.5 rebounds and 1.4 assists this season, blocking 2.3 shots per game and shooting 37.3% from three on 4.0 attempts per game. Despite injury concerns, Turner had one of the strongest seasons of his young career in 2022-23. The 27-year-old also fits the younger timeline of the core around LBJ and Davis.
Buddy Hield is one of the best shooters of his era but has never been able to showcase his skills on a winning team. He’s yet to make the playoffs in his career but is incredibly accurate as a shooter. He shot 8.5 three-pointers per game this season and converted at an incredible 42.5% efficiency. That firmly puts him way ahead of Malik Beasley as a shooter, who shot 35.3% on 7.2 attempts per game with the Lakers in 26 regular-season appearances.
The Pacers get a big man with upside in Mo Bamba in this trade, who will anyway be on an expiring contract. They can get some value out of him, as he would be a great center with Tyrese Halliburton and could provide good minutes for the Pacers. If he doesn’t, it’s a low-risk investment that they can let go next summer or find a midseason trade for. The same goes for Malik Beasley, minus the upside, given his age. Beasley could just be a salary the cap space Pacers use to match the salary floor while trying to rehabilitate his value for a midseason trade for assets.
The No. 17 draft pick would be a big get for Indiana, as there are many promising players within that range they can select. They have lower picks in the draft that they can then find homes for and add two strong rookies with their seventh pick and now the 17th pick.
Lakers Land Star In A Surprising Trade
The NBA is a league of superteams and the last few major trades have reflected just that. Even with fears of a new CBA restricting a team’s ability to hoard max contract players, we’re seeing franchises go the superteam route. Beal on the Suns has opened luxury tax nightmares for him and the Celtics could be liable for a massive contract bill next season after extending Jaylen Brown and possibly extending Kristaps Porzingis. Keeping that in mind, the Lakers go big game hunting to match firepower and acquire one of the best scorers in the league.
Trade Details
Lakers Receive: Zach LaVine
Bulls Receive: No. 17 Draft Pick, Malik Beasley, Austin Reaves
Zach LaVine has had people doubt his game repeatedly, especially at the highest stage. His defense has been inconsistent, and his availability is always in question due to a troubling injury history. Even with all that said, there are very few players in the league that can effortlessly score at all three levels on the court. He can attack the rim with ferocity while being able to shoot from almost any spot on the court. Even in a down year, LaVine averaged 24.8 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 4.2 assists for the Bulls and helped them almost make the playoffs. He has made one playoff appearance in his career and it may be time for his Bulls chapter to end with a trade to the city where he played college basketball.
LeBron James has agitated for a player that can sufficiently take the scoring load off him and LaVine would be the ideal player in that role. Though James would likely still have a heavy playmaking burden, he’ll have one of the most consistent scorers in the league on the floor with him. LaVine also adds a crucial element to the Lakers’ guard rotation that has been lacking with firepower until the emergence of Austin Reaves this season.
To acquire LaVine, the Lakers will sadly have to part with Austin Reaves. Reaves is already 25 years old and had a strong postseason run with LA and averaged 16.9 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 4.6 assists as one of their primary scoring options. The Lakers’ guard is a free agent this summer and is expected to get contract offers that could range up to four years, $100 million, something the Lakers are reportedly going to match.
Even with the upside Reaves could have, swapping him with a demonstrably better player like LaVine, who is just three years older than him, would be a huge positive. It also allows the Bulls to fix their tangled asset situation and have a piece that they can rely upon to either help DeMar DeRozan in the short term or carry the scoring on a rebuilding Bulls roster. The franchise also receives a valuable first-round pick in a draft where they have no picks whatsoever.
This trade is a very pie-in-the-sky outcome for the Lakers, but if they can pull it off, teams in the West will be terrified of the havoc they can cause.
Lakers Make A Low-Risk Win-Now Move
The trades we’ve already mentioned will be challenging given the obstinance the Pacers have shown with trading Turner and Hield for the last season, and we still aren’t sure what direction the Bulls are headed in. So what is a more realistic option that the Lakers can do with minimal risk that makes them better for next season?
Trade Details
Lakers Receive: Bojan Bogdanovic, 2023 No. 31 Draft Pick
Pistons Receive: No. 17 Draft Pick, Malik Beasley, Max Christie
Bojan Bogdanovic can be had for a valuable first-round pick, something the Lakers have at their disposal with No. 17 this year. He had a strong campaign on a tanking Pistons roster, averaging 21.6 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 2.6 assists throughout the season. His defense has held up for someone at the age of 34, and his offensive skill set has been just as valuable as it was in the past. Bogdanovic is a bonafide big-shot taker and a big-shot maker when needed to be. He makes the Lakers’ wing rotation one of the most robust in the NBA, creating depth behind James in Year 21 with options like Bojan and Rui Hachimura. Coupled with Anthony Davis and Jarred Vanderbilt, the Lakers have a number of lineups they can throw at opponents with their own unique challenges.
Getting the first pick in the second round can generate some value in filling out the end of the Lakers’ rotation, especially with the loss of young player Max Christie in this deal. If the likes of Brice Sensabaugh actually end up falling out of the first round, the Lakers could walk away with a very strong haul for what they are giving up. It makes them better but carries the risk of regression from an aging Bogdanovic. Thankfully, his contract is not guaranteed after the next season and could carry just a $2 million cap hit in 2024-25.
The Pistons have the fifth pick in the Draft and have a number of options they can go toward to be a franchise piece alongside Cade Cunningham. The 17th pick gives them two cracks at the apple in a deep draft with useful talents for multiple teams across the board. Detroit is still fleshing out its young core and adding two first-round picks to its roster could be what they need. Max Christie adds some much-needed scoring ability while fitting the timeline of the roster around him at the age of 20.
Next Season Could Be The Last Championship Run Of The LeBron James And Anthony Davis Era
These trades might seem like unnecessary win-now bets, but they are crucial for the Lakers as they enter year five of the LeBron James and Anthony Davis duo. With both players on expiring contracts next season, the Lakers could end up losing them and having to build themselves up from scratch. These trades not only ensure that they can compete with James and AD next season but have some contingency for the future if things don’t work out.
Myles Turner is under contract till 2024-25 and is going to make a reasonable $19.9 million in the final year. Buddy Hield will be a free agent next season as well. Zach LaVine is under a long-term contract until 2026-27, but he also has the most individual value, so the Lakers could either re-tool around him or move him for future assets. Bogdanovic’s contract is just partially guaranteed beyond this season, so that is also easy to move off. They won’t have troubling long-term commitments with any player they are acquiring in these deals, so it gives them winning fortitude now and flexibility in the future.
With James either retiring or going to play with his son Bronny in the NBA, his time on the Lakers is extremely limited. The franchise can keep Davis around after LBJ leaves, but it’ll be hard for them to rebuild in time to make use of Davis, who is turning 31 next season and already has a very concerning injury history. These trades allow them room for movement in the future and ensure that they do not give up their 2027 first-round pick, which could be useful in a tanking season later if the team needs to do so.
If the era is ending, the Lakers need to make it end with a bang. Go all out to give LeBron and AD a legitimate chance at the title one last time and live with the results. It’s better than the alternative of sitting through another frustrating season where they are in the middle of the pack and clearly not at the level of contending.
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