No. 8: Sedale Threatt
The Lakers traded three second-round draft picks, none of whom amounted to much, for Sedale in 1991. Their intention was for him to backup point guard Magic Johnson as the Showtime Era wound down.
However, before the season began, Magic tested positive for the HIV virus and was forced to retire. So Threatt, a reserve for most of his previous eight NBA years, was suddenly thrust into the starter’s role.
He handled the promotion surprisingly well, putting together two back-to-back career years of 15 points, seven assists and nearly two steals (earning him the nickname “The Thief”) per game for Lakers teams that featured James Worthy, Byron Scott, Sam Perkins, A.C. Green and Vlade Divac.
Those squads were able to make the playoffs each year but weren’t good enough to make it out of the first round.
Sedale started to slow down the following season at age 32 and lost his starting job to rookie Nick Van Exel. He continued to play reasonably well for the team for a total of five years, compiling Lakers averages of 11.9 points, 5.2 assists and 1.4 steals per game.