Los Angeles Lakers: 3 Trades to help them beat the Clippers and Bucks

Trade Scenario Number Three

Josh Richardson was supposed to join the 76ers and replicate Jimmy Butler’s production last year in Philadelphia. That hasn’t happened. It turns out that we all minimized Butler’s contributions the previous season, while we overestimated Richardson’s ability.

Josh Richardson isn’t a good enough shooter to start on a championship contender. Rather, he’s an offensive sparkplug off the bench.

Richardson is only shooting 33 percent from deep this season, which has bottled up the 76ers offense. However, he’s been sensational at creating his own looks. Josh is ranked eighth in the NBA out of isolation playtypes at 1.27 points per possession. He’s also reliable as the pick and roll ball handler, capable of hitting his man diving to the rim with a solid pass or of merely taking the ball to the rack and scoring himself.

If the Lakers traded Josh Richardson for Danny Green, then Alex Caruso could step up and take Green’s place in the starting lineup. That, in turn, would make the Lakers first unit even better than it is now because Alex Caruso has been one of the best defensive wings in the association this year. And all of a sudden, he’s hitting 37% of his 3-pointers for the season (almost identical to Danny Green’s 3P%).

Josh Richardson could then join Rajon Rondo, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Kyle Kuzma, and Dwight Howard off the bench, giving the Lakers a potent second unit, easily capable of holding the lead, while allowing LeBron and AD to rest.

It’s also easy to envision Josh Richardson joining LBJ and AD in the Lakers closing unit. He’s a real two-way player with the prototypical size to hound players like Kawhi Leonard or Khris Middleton. He can also manufacture good looks out of isolation when the Clippers or Bucks game plan to stop LeBron.

The 76ers were supposed to compete with the Milwaukee Bucks for the top spot in the Eastern Conference. Halfway through the season, things haven’t worked out that way. The 76ers currently sit in 6th place out East, well behind the Bucks.

Philadelphia’s defense has been stout, but their offense has pulsated from mediocre to a clustered mess, mainly because of their poor 3-point shooting.

That’s where Danny Green would step in. He’d instantly become the 76ers best outside shooter, finally giving Joel Embiid some breathing room in the lane.

This trade would be a rare win-win for the Lakers and the 76ers.