Expectations
Take a look at what the LeBron James teams did in Miami, as well as the 2015-16 Cleveland Cavaliers team. They could shoot, which allowed LeBron to pick wherever he wanted to go on the court and his vision and court awareness allowed him to pick defenses apart.
Muscala came to the Lakers to provide them with a big that can stretch the floor and be able to shoot from the perimeter at around a 40% clip. According to Basketball-Reference, Muscala is a career 36.5% 3-point shooter and has twice finished above 40%.
As witnessed here this is what the Lakers expected would consistently happen in his stay in LA, a smooth shot.
New @Lakers forward Mike Muscala knocks down the triple on #NBAonABC@sixers lead 55-53 with 6:31 to play in the second quarter. pic.twitter.com/LoOS2b6m5q
— NBA (@NBA) February 10, 2019
LeBron James, in his career, has loved guys who can shoot the 3-ball because it opens defenses up and allows him to get in more 1-on-1 situations. Nobody in basketball is at a fair advantage when guarding LeBron in an iso situation.
LeBron James is still one of the best players in basketball and building a team around him similar to the Heat and Cavaliers teams with shooting seemed to be the route the Lakers wanted. The more logical approach would’ve been waiting until this off-season and not panicking just to make a trade. The Lakers seemed out of options and just wanted to make a trade for the heck of it.