The Los Angeles Lakers have gotten their act together, playing at an excellent level and finally achieving a record above .500. The team has looked completely different since the trade deadline, with the additions of D’Angelo Russell, Jarred Vanderbilt, and Malik Beasley making a big difference.
But the players the franchise originally wanted were Myles Turner and Buddy Hield. And there’s a way they can still get them, per an analyst for Bleacher Report:
Los Angeles Lakers Receive – Myles Turner, Buddy Hield.
Indiana Pacers Receive – Malik Beasley, Jarred Vanderbilt, Max Christie, Mo Bamba, 2029 first-round pick
Zach Buckley went on to explain why this would work, writing: “The Lakers were eyeballing Myles Turner and Buddy Hield last offseason, but they didn’t want to part with both of the future first-round picks they were allowed to trade. But what if one pick and some interesting young players would get it done?
“L.A. would have to pounce on that, right? Turner and Hield could effortlessly slot in a starting five with James, Davis, and a re-signed Russell. That quintet has sufficient shooting and probably enough interior defense to plug most leaks from the perimeter.
“If the Lakers build a functional bench behind it, that’s a group that could count contention among its (very) best-case scenarios.”
The one issue with this is that they already traded one of their picks in the deal that saw Russell Westbrook leave, so this would effectively be like trading two pics. They would also have D’Angelo Russell and Rui Hachimura out of it, but it still feels wild that they would blow up their new young, core for Turner and Hield.
Can Myles Turner And Buddy Hield Make That Much Of A Difference For The Los Angeles Lakers?
Before they built their new team, Myles Turner and Buddy Hield would have been stellar additions to the roster for the Lakers. And while getting them into a starting five with LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and D’Angelo Russell would be epic, it would land the Lakers in the same spot in terms of lacking depth.
What’s more, that would be their last first-round pick of the decade, and it would essentially lock them into a couple of seasons of this starting 5 trying to win a ring. Turner’s inside presence and Hield’s three-point shooting cannot be downplayed, but perhaps this isn’t a trade that the Lakers need anymore.
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