The Los Angeles Lakers have been continuously mentioned in the rumor mill this season, having made inquiries on Rajon Rondo, Dion Waiters, Greg Monroe, Brandon Jennings and Brook Lopez to name a few.
Trading for any of these players would seemingly be anti-tanking moves, as they would all improve the overall talent level on the Lakers. So assuming the Lakers really don’t want to embrace tanking (something I would be against), then the player they should be targeting is 24 year old Reggie Jackson.
Jackson is going to be a restricted free agent this summer, so why trade for him now? And, more importantly, would he be a sound addition to the Lakers?
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Let’s start with the second question. For a quick refresher, Jackson is a fourth year guard out of Boston College, and has been a top reserve (and Russell Westbrook fill-in) for the Thunder. Last year, averaging 28 minutes per game, he scored 13.1 points and dished out 4.1 assists, while shooting 44% on 2s and 33% on 3s.
Going beyond stats, Jackson is best described as an explosive and smooth scoring combo guard. He has a fairly consistent shooting stroke, capable of consistently hitting spot up 3s, as well as 2s off the dribble. He’s also a good passer with above average court vision, averaging 5.65 assists per 40 minutes for his career. Although a bit inconsistent, he has shown to be a capable defender at times.
But he is at his most dangerous taking the ball to the hoop, where he routinely hits an array of floaters, layups and, oh yeah, some NASTY throw downs (see, e.g., here, here, here, etc.).
But is Jackson capable of being a starting point guard for a franchise like the Lakers? There is, of course, no way of knowing that for certain. However, there is some evidence that he just might.
Notably, with Kevin Durant and Westbrook out at the beginning of this season, Jackson was thrust into the lead role, and he did not disappoint. In 13 starts, he averaged a cool 20.2 points, 7.8 assists, and 5.2 rebounds as the primary scorer and facilitator for the Thunder.
Additionally, during the first round of last year’s playoffs, Jackson had 32 points (a career high) and 9 rebounds against the Grizzlies, helping to tie the series at 2 games apiece (see the highlights here). The Thunder went on to win the series in 7 games.
Now back to the first, and I’m sure more perplexing, question: why trade for him when the Lakers could just attempt to sign him in the offseason? Because the key word in that question is “attempt.”
Even if Jackson signed an offer sheet with the Lakers, the Thunder could simply match it (possibly with the notion of trading him down). Moreover, there is no guarantee that Jackson would sign an offer sheet with the Lakers, as there may be other teams competing for his services.
Indeed, by trading for him, the Lakers would be in the driver’s seat. They could work out an extension with Jackson directly or just match any offer sheet he signs. Why is this important?
Well, one only needs to look at the recent past. Over the past two offseasons, the Lakers have made offers to the following free agents: Dwight Howard, Carmelo Anthony, and Pau Gasol. What do they all have in common? Forgive me for not stating the obvious.
Now, of course, there are varying reasons as to why the above players signed elsewhere. But that’s not the point. The point is the Lakers cannot simply bank on players signing with them simply because they’re “the Lakers.” Fair or not, the Lakers just don’t seem to be held in the same regard since the passing of Dr. Buss.
So for the Lakers to just assume that players like Goran Dragic, Marc Gasol, and/or Kevin Love, will sign with the Lakers this offseason because of the franchise’s history, the Los Angeles market, etc. just doesn’t seem practical. And after these past two unprecedented seasons of losing and futility, the Lakers cannot afford to swing and miss this offseason.
This is exactly why they should make a move for Jackson now, as opposed to “hoping” to sign him in the offseason. Plus, with him on board, the Lakers will only look that much more attractive to other free agents.
Furthermore, the Thunder should be more than willing trade partners. They recently traded for Waiters (a.k.a. the Jackson replacement) and are notoriously cheap (see James Harden). There is simply no way the Thunder are committing big money to a second guard off the bench, and so it would be in their best interest to see what they could get for Jackson now, as opposed to losing him in the offseason for nothing.
The Lakers could offer some combination of minimum salary players (e.g., Wesley Johnson, Wayne Ellington, etc.) and a draft pick (ideally their 2015 2nd rounder or, worst case, Houston’s 2015 1st rounder). The deal could even be expanded to include Kendrick Perkins expiring contract and either Jeremy Lin or Jordan Hill, whomever the Thunder preferred.
Long story short, the Lakers should explore the possibility of acquiring Jackson, as the cost for obtaining him would likely be low given the Thunder’s circumstances. But more importantly, Jackson would represent a bird in the hand if acquired, as opposed to a player they “hope” to sign this offseason.