7. Lou Williams
One of Magic’s first moves was to trade the perennial Sixth Man of the Year candidate. Sweet Lou is now on the Clippers, where he is having a typical season.
He is playing about 26 minutes per game and averaging 17.8 points and 4.4 assists. Lou is shooting just under 40 percent from the floor (34 percent from beyond the 3-point line) and a career-high 94 percent from the free throw line.
In exchange for Williams, the Lakers received Corey Brewer, who played a minor role with the team and has since been released, and the 28th pick in the 2017 draft. That pick was in turn traded for the 30th and 42nd picks.
The latter was used to select Thomas Bryant, who played one year, primarily in the G League, before being released. He is currently filling in as the starting center for the Wizards following injuries to their top two big men.
With the earlier pick, the Lakers chose Josh Hart, who has exceeded expectations. His value extends beyond his relatively modest statistics (which were negatively impacted while he played through an ankle sprain for several games) of nine points per game in 24 minutes on 46 percent shooting (40 percent from deep).
He is probably the Lakers best perimeter defender and a savvy player. Like Williams, Josh also plays a sixth man role, but he provides great energy rather than instant offense coming off the bench.