This season, the Los Angeles Lakers are a team that has had a tough start, and there’s no doubt that they need to make a move to truly be a competitive team in the Western Conference. Though Anthony Davis and LeBron James are both still playing at a high level, the rest of the roster clearly needs to be reshaped.
- The Los Angeles Lakers Get Three Win-Now Players
- The New York Knicks Clear Salary And Get A Solid Young Player
- This Is A Win-Win Trade For Both Teams
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The New York Knicks signed Jalen Brunson during the summer, but adding one good player hasn’t helped them become an above-average team. The team clearly still has a lot of issues, and perhaps the best move would be to move some of their contracts and retool.
Perhaps the Los Angeles Lakers and the New York Knicks could help one another out with a trade. Our trade scenario involves the Los Angeles Lakers moving Russell Westbrook and Austin Reaves for a package centered on Julius Randle.
Los Angeles Lakers Receive: Julius Randle, Evan Fournier, Cam Reddish
New York Knicks Receive: Russell Westbrook, Austin Reaves
There is no doubt that this is a trade that could potentially help both teams get better. Here is why this trade scenario could potentially be the answer to both teams’ problems.
The Los Angeles Lakers Get Three Win-Now Players
For the Los Angeles Lakers, the most important thing is getting players that can contribute immediately. They simply do not have the time to develop raw young talent while LeBron James and Anthony Davis are on the roster. This trade would get them three players that can immediately fill holes on the roster, and play solid minutes for the team.
Julius Randle is generally considered to be on a bad contract, and he is definitely a player that has some flaws. He is poor defensively, and clearly cannot be the No. 1 option on a good team due to his limited skillset. However, he profiles as a solid No. 3 option behind Anthony Davis and LeBron James. He is a solid slasher, can post up effectively, and is good at rebounding on both ends of the floor. Anthony Davis could potentially cover for some of his defensive issues, and they would definitely make up a dynamic frontcourt duo.
Evan Fournier fell out of the New York Knicks rotation, as the team is clearly prioritizing the development of its young players currently. However, there is a chance that he could help the Los Angeles Lakers. The Los Angeles Lakers have been linked with a number of 3PT shooters on the trade market, and perhaps Fournier could help the team improve in that department as well. He knows how to play next to high-usage players, which suggests he will be a good fit for the Los Angeles Lakers.
Cam Reddish is a wing that hasn’t received much playing time with the New York Knicks, but he has shown that he can be a decent 3 and D player when healthy. His talent is highly regarded in league circles, and perhaps the Los Angeles Lakers could take a chance on the young forward.
Overall, this trade for the Los Angeles Lakers is about them getting some win-now contributors that can help the team win a championship. This move would help them improve their talent level and depth. Though giving up Austin Reaves will hurt them a little bit, the payoff is absolutely worth it.
The New York Knicks Clear Salary And Get A Solid Young Player
Though Russell Westbrook is the most prominent player in this deal for the New York Knicks, the key reason that the team would make this move is to clear the long-term contracts of Julius Randle and Evan Fournier off the books.
Since the New York Knicks are a rebuilding team, it makes sense for them to try to move their veterans and clear salary to help their young players develop. Russell Westbrook is on an expiring contract, so the New York Knicks would save a lot of money after this season by moving Julius Randle and Evan Fournier to the Los Angeles Lakers. They would also avoid having to pay Cam Reddish a long-term contract as well.
Austin Reaves would provide an extra incentive for the New York Knicks to do this deal. Reaves is a solid guard that can do a little bit of everything, though his best skill is obviously defense. He would fit well in Tom Thibodeau’s system and could be a solid connector piece for the team due to his playmaking, shooting, and defense. Overall, he is a prospect that would be able to develop well on the New York Knicks, and it is quite likely that Austin Reaves would get plenty of playing time for the team.
The goal for the New York Knicks here is to improve their situation from a financial standpoint, but getting a prospect such as Austin Reaves makes this trade even better for them, as they’d be getting another solid young player to add to their core.
This Is A Win-Win Trade For Both Teams
For both the New York Knicks and the Los Angeles Lakers, this is a solid trade. One team would immediately improve their roster as a whole, while the other team would move a ton of overpaid veterans and start a bit of a retool.
The Los Angeles Lakers would obviously be able to add three solid players who would immediately increase the talent level on the roster. They would immediately become a contending team in the Western Conference with this trade, as few teams can beat a healthy LeBron James and Anthony Davis when they’re flanked by a good roster.
The New York Knicks would be receiving a lot of salary relief, and a good young player in Austin Reaves. Giving up Julius Randle, Evan Fournier, and Cam Reddish may make them a worse team in the short term, but potentially better in the long term.
It remains to be seen if these two teams will end up coming together for a trade with a similar framework. They definitely have a lot of reasons to do this move, and we’ll see what happens in the future.
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