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Lakers: 3 Trade Scenarios to Help the Lakers’ Playoff Push

By Christian Rivas

Oct 28, 2016; Salt Lake City, UT, USA; The Los Angeles Lakers bench is clearly disappointed with the score late in the fourth quarter against the Utah Jazz at Vivint Smart Home Arena. The Utah Jazz defeated the Los Angeles Lakers 96-89. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Swinger-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 28, 2016; Salt Lake City, UT, USA; The Los Angeles Lakers bench is clearly disappointed with the score late in the fourth quarter against the Utah Jazz at Vivint Smart Home Arena. The Utah Jazz defeated the Los Angeles Lakers 96-89. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Swinger-USA TODAY Sports /
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Feb 8, 2016; Atlanta, GA, USA; Orlando Magic center Nikola Vucevic (9) and guard Mario Hezonja (23) react after defeating the Atlanta Hawks at Philips Arena. The Magic defeated the Hawks 117-110 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 8, 2016; Atlanta, GA, USA; Orlando Magic center Nikola Vucevic (9) and guard Mario Hezonja (23) react after defeating the Atlanta Hawks at Philips Arena. The Magic defeated the Hawks 117-110 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports /

Any trade involving Jeff Green is generally considered a really, really bad trade. Especially if said trade involves a future-first rounder just to rent Green for a quarter of the season. Eh, what’s up, Doc?

But hear me out, this is a good trade for both parties involved.

The Orlando Magic decided to part ways with the No. 2 overall pick in the 2013 NBA Draft, Victor Oladipo, this summer in exchange for an established shot blocking stretch four in Serge Ibaka.

Oladipo is sitting pretty at the No. 6 seed in the Western Conference and is sharing backcourt duties in Oklahoma City with one bad mamajama. Meanwhile, Ibaka and the Orlando Magic are on the outside looking in when it comes to playoffs. How did we get here?

Well, to make a long story short, the Magic have too many bigs.

A month after trading for Ibaka, the Magic decided it would be a great idea to add another shot blocking big to the mix. Why? Because defense that’s why.

However, with Ibaka and Biyombo on the roster, Nikola Vucevic and Aaron Gordon have been put on the back burner in Orlando. That’s where the Lakers come in.

While I don’t think Orlando is ready to pull the plug on the Aaron Gordon project just yet, Nikola Vucevic seems gettable.

In the 2015-16, Vucevic averaged a cool 18.2 points per game and 8.9 rebounds. The season before that, the former USC product averaged a double-double, with 19.3 points and 10.9 rebounds. That’s pretty good for a guy that just celebrated his 26th birthday in October.

Vucevic is also cheap by today’s standards, only due roughly $36 million over the next three years. Compare that to the four-year, $65 million contract the Lakers handed 30-year-old Timofey Mozgov this summer, and it sounds even better.

In order to pull this trade off, however, the Lakers would have to part with ways with a few of their high profile players as well.

Orlando is in the market for scoring, according to the Orlando Sentinel, and the Lakers have a few guys on the team that are career bucket getters–namely Lou Williams and Nick Young.

Like Vucevic, Young and Williams are both on economically friendly deals, making this an ideal trade scenario for the Magic. Of all the players in this trade, Williams arguably has the highest trade value. Only due $7 million next season, Lou’s scoring for his value is almost unheard of.

To get this deal done, Orlando would have to take in a bad contract (Luol Deng) and throw in a few sweeteners (Mario Hezonja and a future second round pick).

The Lakers would get two young players and an expiring contract, while the Magic would add firepower to a team that desperately needs it. Deng also fills a need at small forward for the Magic.

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