It’s no secret that the Los Angeles Lakers hope to court top free agents next July. Since the season began, speculation has run rampant that the Lakers will or should attempt to clear as much salary cap room as possible by trading Jordan Clarkson and/or Julius Randle.
Los Angeles Lakers sixth man Jordan Clarkson is having a tremendous season. He is providing instant offense off the bench, averaging over 15 points per game in just 22 minutes. He’s shooting nearly 49 percent from the field, and over 35 percent on 3’s. He is signed through the 2019-20 season at a not-outrageous salary. So why does he continue to be the object of so much trade gossip?
Mostly the talk centers around the Lakers creating maximum cap space to sign multiple free agents when the season ends. There is also conjecture about packaging him with Luol Deng (as they did D’Angelo Russell with Timofey Mozgov) to get rid of the last 2+ years of Deng’s contract. However, would divesting one of their best players really improve the team?
At last season’s trade deadline, the Lakers swapped outstanding sixth man Lou Williams to the Rockets for a first-round draft pick, which they later converted into two picks, Jason Hart and Thomas Bryant. Neither is contributing very much so far, but both have the potential to eventually be solid NBA players. Some fans want the team to try to do something comparable this season.
However, there are two big differences between last year’s team and this year’s. First, after trading Williams last season, they still had Clarkson. When they traded Russell they planned to draft a point guard replacement with the No.2 pick, which of course they did by selecting Lonzo Ball.
If they trade Clarkson now, they have no proven alternative to take his role. Neither Hart nor Tyler Ennis can provide firepower that approaches Clarkson’s.
Secondly, 10 of the 15 players on the current Lakers roster have three years or less of NBA experience, including four rookies. Do they really need to add more young players to the team next year by trading Clarkson for a draft pick?
There is a quandary surrounding Julius Randle, as well. After starting last year at power forward, he has been used primarily as a backup small-ball center this season. Somewhat surprisingly, he has thrived in his new role, averaging 12 points and seven rebounds per game in just 22 minutes, while providing great energy for the second unit.
However, his rookie contract expires after the season, when he will be a restricted free agent. Rumors abound about trading him, either with or without Deng.
Randle possesses an unusual skill set. He is an outstanding rebounder, an excellent ball-handler and a first-rate passer. He doesn’t have great hops or long arms, yet he has unexpectedly been an adequate rim protector.
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His outside shot is still, at best, a work in progress, and he nearly always goes to his left, but he’s still shooting 55 percent. His defense has also been terrific this year when he switches off of screen and rolls to cover smaller opponents.
Based on those attributes, re-signing Randle appears at first to be a no-brainer. The caveat, though, is doing so will limit the team’s ability to fit other marquee free agents within the salary cap. Also, the Lakers frontcourt is relatively crowded, especially with the emergence of Kyle Kuzma and the return of Larry Nance Jr from injury, along with a plethora of centers, including veterans Brook Lopez and Andrew Bogut as well as youngsters Ivica Zubac and Bryant.
The off-court debate about what Lakers management should do is fragmented. Some think they should trade Randle ASAP, certainly before the deadline, and get whatever they can in return rather than risk losing him for nothing if he signs elsewhere in free agency. Others want the front office to make a big push to bundle him with Deng in a trade. The third school of thought is to try to hold onto an about-to-be 23-year-old player who is a major contributor, and who most likely hasn’t yet peaked.
It’s easy to dream about signing star free agents to man every position. However, just how successful the Lakers will be in that market is unpredictable. Also, Lakers management recognizes that signing big-name talent does not automatically produce a winner. Assembling a team with compatible parts that fit well together is far more important than pursuing star power.
The belief here is that they need not have a sense of urgency or panic to get rid of Deng. The Lakers will indeed part ways with him, sooner or later, either by finding a trading partner or negotiating a buy-out. But for now, he hasn’t made a public fuss or destroyed team morale, so it’s just not logical to give away young talent with Deng unless they get truly get good value in return.
As for Clarkson, it makes little sense to trade him unless they can fleece some other team. In the NBA, bringing in a proven scorer off the bench is a highly regarded commodity.
The Randle situation is far murkier. Arguments in favor of both trading and re-signing him have merit. Perhaps the remaining 75 percent of the season will provide greater clarity. For the time being, management has the luxury of waiting at least a little while to determine their course of action.
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Whatever decisions the front office makes about Clarkson, Randle and Deng will have major impact on the Lakers effort to rebuild the franchise. What do you think they should do?
All statistics courtesy of basketball-reference.com