The Los Angeles Lakers are stuck in the worst spot that an NBA team can possibly be in. They are among the worst teams in the league but don’t have control over their own draft pick this season. The 2023 Draft might have some generational prospects that the Lakers will miss out on and fail to change the team’s future outlook.
LeBron James openly aired his frustrations with playing losing basketball in LA and questioned how long he will keep doing it. With his co-star Anthony Davis, injured yet again and the Lakers 6 games behind .500, a trade to safeguard the future of the team is crucial. As a result, Joseph Casciaro of TheScore believes the Lakers and the Phoenix Suns need to get on a call about exchanging big men.
The Score’s trade idea:
Suns receive: Anthony Davis
Lakers receive: Deandre Ayton, 2025 1st-round pick, 2026 pick swap, 2027 1st-rounder pic.twitter.com/jNauUYGerP
— Lakers Daily (@LakersDailyCom) January 2, 2023
In this possible blockbuster trade, Los Angeles Lakers will land a young big man in Ayton, who could help LeBron in the present and be a future talent for the franchise after LBJ is gone. The 3 first-round picks will be crucial to help the Lakers build their roster further.
In any Davis trade scenario, the Lakers should target a player good enough to help LeBron continue to play relevant basketball and compete on some level (even if just for a play-in spot), but one young enough to form part of the foundation of the next great Lakers team, whenever that squad may come to fruition.
Though nowhere near the caliber of big man Davis is, Ayton checks both boxes. He’s a 24-year-old center averaging roughly 18 points, 10 rebounds, and two assists on 62% shooting; an interior bully who also possesses a soft touch. Ayton’s a near 7-footer who shoots 84% at the rim, but who’s also above average from the mid-range, and is an improving playmaker. (h/t The Score)
The Suns need a big move like this to truly make them a top-tier team in the West, though the price for an injury-prone AD might be too high. Deandre Ayton evidently is not fitting in Phoenix, be it on the court or with coaches. He will be a highlighted star in LA, though the Lakers won’t be able to have as dynamic a duo as LBJ and AD with Ayton’s more limited skill set.
Is This A Good Trade For Either Side?
Lakers fans may keep the hope of LeBron and Davis getting healthy and dominating on the court together, but we have seen 3 seasons of that not happening. If the team is serious about giving LeBron a chance to contend, they need to do this and then use the picks they receive to make further moves around the roster.
This trade is actually a lot harder for the Suns to execute. AD’s injury history means that a price tag of 3 first-round picks might be a little too steep for Phoenix. That is understandable as well, given how not having AD can impact a team. However, a healthy AD on that Suns team might just guarantee an NBA Finals berth for Phoenix.
This is a tough trade to grade, but there are ways to make it work if the 2 teams genuinely care to make it happen. However, AD isn’t on the trade market, and Ayton is in the first year of a new contract, so this will probably not happen.
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