The NBA is still reacting to the reverberations caused by the massive Los Angeles Lakers trade to land Dorian Finney-Smith and Shake Milton from the Nets. Former Lakers star Dwight Howard believes LeBron James made the decision to have D’Angelo Russell sent to the Nets, referencing his famous nickname ‘LeGM’ in the process.
“D-Lo went to the Nets… What’s going on Lakers? LeGM made the decision. LeGM said it’s enough D-Lo. They traded D-Lo for Finney-Smith? Let me be the GM. They just be doing anything.”
It is no secret that LeBron James holds a lot of power in any franchise he is a part of. Any roster acquisitions or decisions made are run through him, even if he refuses to admit that.
That is by no means a critique of LeBron James. As a franchise superstar, he should have that say and input into the team’s decision. As the best player on the team and the leader on the court, he will understand what the team needs and what players will help improve the squad. That is the case for most, if not all franchise superstars in the modern era.
LeBron James is also one of the smartest players in NBA history and can improve every player around him. So for the Lakers front office to consult him on all roster decisions makes all the sense in the world. And given how poorly D’Angelo Russell had been playing this season with the Lakers, LeBron made the right call.
This season, Russell is averaging 12.4 points, 4.7 assists, 2.8 rebounds, 0.8 steals, and 0.1 blocks per game, while shooting 41.5% from the field, 33.3% from deep, and 84.9% from the free-throw line. This level of production wasn’t just not good enough for the Lakers but was an active detriment to them.
Lakers Looking To Go All In With LeBron
This move from the Lakers shows that they are finally ready to stop wasting LeBron James’ final years of high-level, competitive basketball and help him win an NBA championship. Not since 2021 have the Lakers had a competitive roster that could realistically compete for an NBA championship.
Granted, they did reach the Western Conference Finals in 2023, but that was just a matter of LeBron James and Anthony Davis playing some elite basketball, and having a different rotation player step up on a nightly basis. There was no consistent third-best player on the roster during that run.
And when faced with another genuine contender, the Lakers crumbled, getting swept by the Denver Nuggets.
Landing Finney-Smith and Milton, who are both decent shooters and the former being a great defender, isn’t going to be enough though. Rob Pelinka did a smart job by not giving up any first-round draft picks in the deal. Those assets will allow him to make yet another big move to bolster the roster.
The Lakers desperately need a big man, specifically at the center position. Perhaps a young center like Walker Kessler, who is still on his rookie contract could be someone that they target going forward. We suggested a trade with the Jazz for Kessler and Collin Sexton, but the Lakers will have to find another piece to attach now that they don’t have D’Angelo Russell as a salary dump asset to use.
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