Los Angeles Lakers: Grading the D’Angelo Russell, Brook Lopez trade
What grade did the Los Angeles Lakers receive in their trade with the Brooklyn Nets?
The Los Angeles Lakers were part of the first big move leading up to the 2017 NBA Draft. The Lakers and Brooklyn Nets agreed in principle to a trade that will become official on Thursday night at the draft.
Los Angeles will be sending former No. 2 overall pick, D’Angelo Russell, and Timofey Mozgov to the Nets for Brook Lopez and the 27th pick in the 2017 NBA Draft. This is a pretty good grade for both teams that are trying to head in different directions.
Brooklyn is looking for anything to get the dormant franchise going. Despite all of the losing they have done in recent seasons, they are not reaping the benefits in the way of high draft picks. The Boston Celtics are reaping those benefits from the ill-fated trade that Billy King made as general manager as the Nets.
Russell represents that chance for Brooklyn. He should flourish under head coach Kenny Atkinson, who helped Jeremy Lin during Linsanity with the New York Knicks. The reason this trade was possible for the Nets was because the Lakers desperately wanted to clear cap space.
Last offseason the Lakers head-scratchingly dove into the free agency pool. They handed Mozgov and Luol Deng lucrative, long-term contracts. It only took the Lakers a few months to realize how bad those contracts were. The only way sometimes to get out of them is by combining it with a good asset; insert Russell.
That is the only part of this draft that hurts. Russell has a lot of potential but there were serious questions about whether or not he would realize it in Los Angeles. By trading him, the Lakers have now opened up a ton of possibilities.
The Lakers can now go big game hunting on the trade market and in free agency. By trading Mozgov, the Lakers have freed up $54 million in the future; Lopez is an expiring contract. That puts them squarely in play next offseason for one, possibly two max free agents.
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The Lakers also acquired another asset to use as trade bait. It is no secret that the Lakers are interested in acquiring Paul George from the Indiana Pacers.
They do not want to trade the No. 2 pick or Brandon Ingram, so acquiring another draft pick gives them more ammunition to include. They have wasted no time, as the Lakers have reportedly updated their trade offer to the Pacers to include the 27th pick, 28th pick, and either Jordan Clarkson or Julius Randle.
The Lakers have all of the negotiating power with the Pacers. George has already stated his intentions to play for the Lakers, so they can play this slow and wait it out. They have no reason to up their offer unless another team gets serious. Until that happens, the Lakers should continue low-balling the Pacers until they crack.
The Lakers could gain even more assets depending on what they do with Lopez, as well. Lopez gives the Lakers a go-to scorer. His new found ability to shoot three-pointers should help spread the court for a team that struggled to do it last year. If Lopez plays well, the Lakers could flip him again at the trade deadline for more assets.
Lopez is arguably the best player in this deal, so the Lakers did well in that regard. What makes trading Russell a little easier to swallow is the fact that the Lakers own the No. 2 pick. It is being reported that the Lakers will use that pick on UCLA point guard Lonzo Ball, who will step right into the starting backcourt spot vacated by Russell.
Trading Russell is something that disappoints some fans. The potential that Russell has is undeniable. That is the only thing that makes this trade risky. What if Russell takes off with the Lakers, and Ball or whomever the Lakers select No. 2, bombs? Or, if the Lakers attempt at clearing cap space results in nothing of substance and then waste money on aged veterans again like they did with Mozgov and Deng?
It is a gamble worth taking. The Lakers have set themselves up to be players in free agency while retaining a lot of their young core. If the Lakers can land George and say, LeBron James next offseason, the was a major success.
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The only thing that the Lakers have to worry about is Russell taking off and becoming the superstar the Lakers hoped he would be. That is the only thing that keeps this grade down a little. Overall, this was a solid deal for the Lakers and gives them a lot of hope for the future.