Los Angeles Lakers: 5 reasons trading for Trevor Ariza is a smart move

5. Injury insurance

Injuries can quickly derail a team. During an 82-game regular season, players are bound to pick up some bumps and bruises. As a result, having depth is of the utmost importance. The Lakers are deep across the board, but adding Ingram would give them insurance in the frontcourt, where they have already seen some missed games.

Brandon Ingram has missed four games because of a suspension and will miss at least four games with his current ankle injury. Last season Ingram played only 59 games, so durability is a bit of an issue for him in recent seasons.

Right now, the forward spot is probably the shallowest on the roster. The backcourt has numerous options at both point guard and small forward. However, on the wing, Los Angeles really only has three options in Ingram, Kyle Kuzma and LeBron James. Michael Beasley is more of a frontcourt player, and counting on Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk to handle major minutes would be asking a lot of a rookie second-round pick.

Adding a player of Ariza’s caliber would give the team some insurance in case of injury, or to provide rest to a player that needs a breather.