Lakers Rumors: Soon to be Cleveland Cavaliers West, the guards
By Ronald Agers
A funny thing happened recently; Kyle Korver was traded to Memphis!
While J.R. Smith was stuck in Cleveland, Kyle Korver got lucky and got traded to the Utah Jazz. Last week, Korver was traded to the Memphis Grizzlies in a package that landed Mike Conley Jr. With Memphis blowing up the Grit N’ Grind era to go young featuring Ja Morant, it is highly unlikely that Korver will be hopping the plane for Memphis.
Like his former teammate Smith, Korver has a partially guaranteed contract that goes into effect on July 7th. Most believe that Memphis will buy Korver out and leave him open for the Lakers to make an offer for him.
I don’t see Kyle Korver playing more than one or two more years, so the appeal of playing with the combination of Anthony Davis and LeBron James for a possible title run would appeal to him. He may never have an opportunity to have more open shots in his career than he would with two top-5 players in the NBA on the floor. Even his man would have to leave him to double team those two.
The NBA already knows Kyle Korver doesn’t need much room to get his shot off.
If the Lakers can get Korver, they need to get him. Even if it means using the mid-level exception. Korver would be a vital piece to the Lakers offense.
How vital?
When the Warriors swept the Cavaliers two years ago, head coach Steve Kerr told reporters that the defensive plan was to shut down Korver’s opportunities. Considering LeBron James was on the same team at the time, that says a lot.