Grading Every Major Lakers Trade Since 2020

Since the 2020 title run, the Lakers haven’t really lived in the “small tweaks” world. They’ve lived in the “big swing” world.

Every time the pressure spiked, Rob Pelinka pushed chips to the middle. Sometimes it was smart, calculated roster building. Sometimes it was pure panic. And a few times, it was that classic Lakers move where the idea sounds great on paper, then the basketball reality punches you in the face two months later.

That’s what makes this stretch so fun to grade. The Lakers went from a championship blueprint built on defense, size, and role clarity, to a stretch where they chased star power and tried to patch the holes with minimum contracts. Then they pivoted again, rebuilt the roster around functional fits, and eventually landed in a completely new era with franchise-shifting decisions.

So here’s the point of this piece: no nostalgia, no “it felt right at the time” excuses. Just the major trades since 2020, the real context behind each move, what they were trying to accomplish, what it cost them, and whether it actually helped the Lakers win.

Lakers Acquire Dennis Schroder In Trade With Thunder

Date: November 18, 2020

Lakers Receive: Dennis Schroder

Thunder Receive: Danny Green, draft rights to Jaden McDaniels (No. 28 pick)

This was one of those early “we’re not getting cute” moves. The Lakers just won a title, and instead of running it back and praying the bench held up again, they went straight for another real ball-handler. The whole thing was simple: add a guard who can pressure the rim, keep the offense alive when LeBron James sits, and give the team a different gear when the game turns into half-court mud.

Dennis Schroder arrived on an expiring deal worth $15.5 million for the season, basically a one-year swing that didn’t lock the Lakers into anything long-term. On the other side, Danny Green was also an expiring-sized number, making about $15.4 million in the final year of his two-year, $30 million contract. That salary symmetry matters because it made the move clean, no five-team accounting, no desperate cap gymnastics.

The real cost was the first-rounder. The Lakers used No. 28 to take Jaden McDaniels, and the Thunder got the draft rights. That’s the tax you pay for upgrading while you’re still trying to win now.

From a basketball standpoint, the logic was obvious. Schroder brought downhill speed and playmaking that the Lakers needed, especially with Rajon Rondo headed out and the team looking for a more reliable creator. He also gave them lineup flexibility, because you could start him or run him as a lead guard with the second unit depending on matchups.

Bottom line: the Lakers turned an aging 3-and-D piece into a guard who could create advantages, without sacrificing their core. That’s how contenders are supposed to operate.

Grade: B

A Salary Dump With JaVale McGee After The Title

Date: November 23, 2020

Lakers Receive: Alfonzo McKinnie, Jordan Bell

Cavaliers Receive: JaVale McGee, 2026 second-round pick

This was the kind of boring contender move that actually keeps a contender alive. The Lakers just finished a 52-19 season, won the title, and immediately started trimming the edges instead of getting sentimental.

JaVale McGee wasn’t some random throw-in either. In 2019-20, he played 68 games and gave the Lakers 6.6 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 0.7 blocks in 16.6 minutes. That’s a totally usable center, especially for regular-season nights when you need size and rim-running.

But the postseason told the real story. The Lakers leaned into smaller closing groups, and McGee’s role shrank. So instead of paying for a center slot they weren’t sure they’d use in high-leverage moments, they flipped him for two non-guaranteed-style bodies and future flexibility. That was the entire point.

The Cavaliers’ side is what makes it feel even more logical. They were coming off a 19-46 season and needed competence at center without signing something long-term. McGee gave them a veteran rotation big for cheap, and for a rebuilding team, that’s fine business.

From the Lakers’ angle, this was a preemptive strike. They cleared room, kept roster control, and made it easier to pivot to a different center plan right after a championship run. It’s not exciting, but it’s exactly how you avoid getting stuck paying for yesterday’s rotation.

Grade: B-

“That” Russell Westbrook Trade We All Remember

Date: July 29, 2021

Lakers Receive: Russell Westbrook, 2024 second-round pick, 2028 second-round pick

Wizards Receive: Kyle Kuzma, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Montrezl Harrell, No. 22 pick

This trade didn’t just change the Lakers; it basically wrote the next two years for them, and not in a good way.

The Lakers were coming off a 42-30 season, still elite defensively (106.8 points allowed per game, 2nd in the league), but the offense lagged (109.5 points per game, 22nd). So the thinking was obvious: add another engine, add another star, stop relying on one creator to do everything.

Russell Westbrook showed up as the loudest version of that idea. In 2020-21, he averaged 22.2 points, 11.5 rebounds, and 11.7 assists, and he ripped off 38 triple-doubles. That’s not “pretty good,” that’s full supernova usage.

The Wizards rode that chaos to a 34-38 record in the East, while playing at a track-meet pace and bleeding points defensively (118.5 allowed per game, 30th).

The issue wasn’t that Westbrook couldn’t produce. The issue was roster math and basketball math. His $44.2 million salary meant the Lakers had to send out multiple rotation players and then fill the rest of the roster with minimums. That’s where the damage happened.

Kuzma, Caldwell-Pope, and Harrell weren’t stars, but they were the kind of mid-tier pieces that let you survive a season. Two-way wings, defense, playable depth. The Lakers traded that stability for one giant ball-dominant bet, and the fit questions were there from the jump.

The Lakers were plagued by injuries and unfitting pieces that season, ending 2021-22 with an abysmal 33-49 record that saw them outside of the playoffs, and with more questions than answers for the future.

This wasn’t just a miss. It forced a whole chain of “fix it” moves afterward because the roster stopped making sense.

Grade: D

The Marc Gasol Move In Another Salary-Clearing Dump

Date: September 10, 2021

Lakers Receive: Draft rights to Wang Zhelin

Grizzlies Receive: Marc Gasol, 2024 second-round pick, cash considerations

This was the definition of a cold-blooded cap move. No romance, no “thanks for the help” press conference, just the Lakers cleaning the books after an ugly exit and trying to regain flexibility.

Context matters here. The Lakers went 42-30 in 2020-21, finished seventh, and leaned on defense to survive. That season ended early with a first-round exit, and the front office clearly decided it couldn’t keep stacking medium-sized contracts without a clearer plan.

Marc Gasol’s actual on-court production with the Lakers was fine, but it was also replaceable. In 2020-21, he played 52 games and totaled 993 minutes, and he wasn’t a featured piece of what they wanted to be offensively.

The bigger story was financial. Adrian Wojnarowski reported the deal saved the Lakers roughly $10 million, and that the Grizzlies would work toward a waiver/release path so Gasol could stay in Spain with his family. That tells you everything: this wasn’t about basketball fit, it was about clearing space and controlling the ledger.

The Lakers basically used Gasol plus a second-round pick as the price to buy flexibility. That’s not fun, but it’s smart when you’re trying to keep LeBron-and-AD windows from getting stuck in “expensive and mid.”

It’s not a move that wins a headline, but it’s the kind of move that makes later roster moves possible.

Grade: B

Patrick Beverley Joined To Inject Defense And Edge

Date: August 25, 2022

Lakers Receive: Patrick Beverley

Jazz Receive: Talen Horton-Tucker, Stanley Johnson

This trade was the Lakers admitting they needed adults. Not “big names,” not “potential,” adults. The previous season had spiraled into a mess, and you could feel the organization craving an identity reset.

The Lakers went 33-49 in 2021-22 and finished 11th. So when they flipped Talen Horton-Tucker and Stanley Johnson for Patrick Beverley, it was basically a culture play dressed up as roster math.

Beverley, for all the memes, still gave real production and real impact. In 2021-22, he played 58 games and started 54, and he was a key rotation piece on a playoff Wolves team that had actual defensive bite and a nasty edge.

You’re not trading for him to run your offense. You’re trading for him to pick up full court, talk nonstop, and make nights miserable for opposing guards.

Meanwhile, Horton-Tucker had become the classic “Lakers young guy” where the league knows about him, but the fit never fully pops. He was still young, still intriguing, but he didn’t solve the Lakers’ biggest problems, which were defense, discipline, and coherent roles. Stanley Johnson was basically a depth forward flyer in the deal, not the centerpiece.

Beverley averaged 6.4 points, 3.1 rebounds and 2.6 assists in 45 games that season, as efficiency was bad and the fit next to other non-shooting guards never meshed.

Did it fix everything? No. But it was a logical step toward making the Lakers harder to play against again.

Grade: C+

Lakers Took A Low-Risk Swing On Rui Hachimura

Date: January 23, 2023

Lakers Receive: Rui Hachimura

Wizards Receive: Kendrick Nunn, 2023 2nd round pick, 2028 2nd round pick, 2029 2nd round pick

The Lakers didn’t make this move to “fix everything.” They made it because the roster had too many nights where the wing rotation looked like a patchwork quilt, and the margin for error was already razor thin.

On paper, Rui Hachimura was the cleanest kind of buy-low target. He came in on a $6.3 million rookie-scale number, so the risk wasn’t salary-crushing, and the Lakers didn’t have to touch their premium assets to get him. That mattered, because at that point the front office needed flexibility almost as much as it needed talent.

The production was real enough to justify the swing. Hachimura averaged 13.0 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 1.2 assists in 30 games with the Wizards that season before the deal, shooting 48.8% from the field and 33.7% from three. That’s not star output, but it’s playable scoring size, and the Lakers desperately needed another forward who could actually put pressure on the rim without needing a million plays called for him.

Meanwhile, Kendrick Nunn had basically turned into “salary that might score.” He averaged 6.7 points in 39 games, and the three-point shooting never stabilized. So for the Lakers, this was flipping a shaky rotation guard into a bigger body who could help them survive matchup swings.

Wojnarowski’s reporting framed it exactly as that kind of value play, Hachimura for Nunn and three seconds, nothing fancy. And honestly, that’s why it was smart. You don’t need every trade to be a blockbuster. Sometimes you just need another real NBA forward.

Grade: B+

Lakers Finally Moved Russell Westbrook And Rebuilt The Rotation Overnight

Date: February 9, 2023

Lakers Receive: D’Angelo Russell, Malik Beasley, Jarred Vanderbilt

Jazz Receive: Russell Westbrook, Juan Toscano-Anderson, Damian Jones, 2027 first-round pick (LAL)

Timberwolves Receive: Mike Conley, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, 2024 second-round pick (MEM)

This was the moment the Lakers stopped pretending the season was going to magically fix itself. They didn’t tweak around the edges. They hit the reset button midstream.

First, the contract reality. Westbrook was making about $47 million in the final year of his deal, which basically turned him into the loudest, most awkward “expiring” in the league.

And on the court, the numbers were exactly what you’d expect from that era: 15.9 points, 7.5 assists, and 6.2 rebounds in 52 games, with the volatility baked in every night.

The Lakers’ goal wasn’t to win the trade on paper. It was to build a roster that finally made sense next to LeBron and AD.

D’Angelo Russell instantly gave them a real ball-handler who could shoot and organize. In his Lakers stint after the deal, he averaged 17.4 points and 6.1 assists in 17 games, and he shot 41.4% from three. Vanderbilt brought the defensive chaos and rebounding, the kind of “do the dirty work” forward every team needs in April. And Beasley was basically there to fire threes, which the Lakers needed even when it came with streaky nights.

The pick detail matters too. ESPN reported the 2027 first was top-four protected, and if it didn’t convey, it would convert to a second. So the Lakers paid, but they didn’t hand over a totally unprotected future lifeline.

NBA.com later pointed to the post-deadline surge, 17-9 after the shake-up, and that’s the real stamp of approval. This trade didn’t just move Westbrook. It changed the entire vibe of the team.

Grade: A-

Mo Bamba Was A Low-Risk Bet On Size And Shooting

Date: February 9, 2023

Lakers Receive: Mo Bamba, Davon Reed, second-round pick

Magic Receive: Patrick Beverley, 2024 second-round pick, cash considerations

This one felt like the Lakers chasing a type more than a sure thing. They wanted size. They wanted a big man who could block shots and at least pretend to stretch the floor. And they wanted it without paying real draft capital.

Mo Bamba was exactly that kind of lottery ticket. In 2022-23, he averaged 7.3 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 1.0 blocks in 17.0 minutes. That’s not a starter profile, but it’s a useful bench archetype if you hit the right matchup.

The trade mechanics were part of a bigger four-team shuffle, with the Clippers receiving Bones Hyland from the Nuggets, who gained Thomas Bryant from L.A. The Lakers basically turned Patrick Beverley into a younger, taller swing while picking up a little extra.

From a vibes standpoint, it also signaled the Lakers were moving away from “edge” guys and toward functional roster building. Beverley was a culture play. Bamba was a tool play.

Now the downside is obvious. Bamba was never consistent, and if the confidence isn’t there, the whole “shooting big” thing turns into “guy who hesitates and clogs space.” Still, for a team trying to patch holes midseason, the concept made sense.

It’s not a slam dunk, but it’s also not the kind of move that buries you.

Grade: C

D’Angelo Russell Out, Dorian Finney-Smith In, A Real Rotation Fix

Date: December 29, 2024

Lakers Receive: Dorian Finney-Smith, Shake Milton

Nets Receive: D’Angelo Russell, Maxwell Lewis, 2027 second-round pick, 2030 second-round pick, 2031 second-round pick

This trade screamed, “We’re done pretending.” The Lakers didn’t move D’Angelo Russell because he was terrible. They moved him because the role was shrinking and the team needed a different kind of player next to its stars.

Russell’s minutes had dipped month-to-month, and his 2024-25 line at the time sat at 12.4 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 4.7 assists in 29 games. That’s fine production, but it’s not “essential,” especially when the fit gets weird in playoff basketball.

The Lakers went hunting for the exact opposite profile: a wing who defends, hits open shots, and doesn’t need touches to matter. Dorian Finney-Smith arrived averaging 10.4 points and 4.6 rebounds in his games that season. That’s the kind of boring stat line that coaches love.

Shake Milton was the extra chip, a bench guard who can soak up minutes and keep the offense from dying when the main creators sit. Not a headliner, but not nothing.

The cost was real, though. Three second-round picks add up, and the Lakers always operate like they’re one trade away from the “final” roster. This was them paying to stabilize.

I liked this deal for them. It was a style upgrade. A playoff-thinking move. And it was the Lakers finally leaning into wings instead of stacking guards and hoping it works out.

Grade: B+

The Most Unbelievable Trade In NBA History Happened

Date: February 2, 2025

Lakers Receive: Luka Doncic, Maxi Kleber, Markieff Morris

Mavericks Receive: Anthony Davis, Max Christie, 2029 first-round pick

This wasn’t a trade, it was an earthquake. The kind that changes how teams plan, how fans talk, and how the entire West gets framed for the next half-decade.

The Lakers didn’t “upgrade.” They bought an offensive engine. Luka Doncic wasn’t a future MVP candidate, he was already that guy. And now he’s proving it again in a Lakers jersey. This season, Doncic is putting up 33.5 points, 7.7 rebounds, and 8.7 assists per game, while shooting 46.7% from the field, basically operating as the league’s No. 1 scoring threat.

That’s the fireworks part people forget when they debate the cost. This isn’t “maybe he becomes the face.” He already was. The Lakers flipped the franchise into a Doncic timeline overnight, and it’s exactly why the deal still feels like a cheat code even a year later.

Now, the price. Anthony Davis was still elite, still a two-way monster, still capable of carrying playoff-level defense by himself when healthy. Max Christie was a legit young rotation piece, and the 2029 first is the kind of pick that becomes a conversation starter for a decade. But the Lakers made the cold-blooded decision that matters most in this league: creators rule everything. If you have a top-tier creator, you can build a contender every year. If you don’t, you spend your life praying your roster is perfect.

Then came the real stamp that this wasn’t a short fling. In the offseason, Doncic agreed to a three-year, $165 million maximum extension with the Lakers, with a player option for 2028-29, locking the partnership in and killing any “will he leave?” drama before it even started.

And that’s why this trade isn’t just “a win.” It’s a franchise rebrand. The Lakers didn’t just trade for a star. They secured the next era, then immediately put it in writing.

Grade: A+