With another disappointing season behind them, the Los Angeles Lakers are waiting, and plotting, for ways to improve the state of the roster.
Barring some kind of miracle, there really isn’t much they can do to drastically change the team.
Still, they hope a package of intriguing young players (Talen Horton-Tucker and Kendrick Nunn) and draft picks will be enough to make a difference for next season.
In a piece on HoopsHype, NBA Insider Mike Scotto dropped some possible details on Rob Pelinka’s plan:
“I’d be shocked if Talen Horton-Tucker, Kendrick Nunn and multiple first-round picks aren’t dangled on the trade market this summer for the Lakers. When you look at their roster outside of LeBron and Davis, that’s the only way for them to try to improve the team. I don’t think it’ll get the team anything back of consequence. They tried to dangle that before the trade deadline.”
“I find it tough for them unless they’re going to somehow try to consolidate Westbrook’s contract into multiple pieces and do the reverse of what they did when they traded for him from the Wizards.”
The draft picks are what will make the difference for L.A. While they obviously want to avoid jeopardizing their future, throwing in one or two picks could dramatically increase the value of any return they get in trades.
“I think the Lakers ideally want to try to trade Westbrook without attaching a pick and get several role players to fill out the roster (wrote Yossi Gozlan). Then, try to package Horton-Tucker and Nunn for something else. Both players can bring back around $20 million. Maybe they attach a pick there and see what they can get.”
Outside of LeBron James and Anthony Davis, THT is probably their most tradeable player. Despite his underwhelming performance this season, he’s still a young, 21-year-old swingman with the chance to thrive if put in the right situation. With this Lakers team, it’s clear he’s never going to reach his full potential — but it remains to be seen if they can find a suitable return for him.
This summer, Rob Pelinka will be looking hard for ways to move THT and anyone else that could attract some interest — but what to do with Russell Westbrook will be the most puzzling task of all.
Unless some serious changes are made over these next few months, the Purple and Gold could see a repeat of the nightmarish campaign they just ended last week.
