Los Angeles Lakers’ potential trade target: Dante Exum
The Cleveland Cavaliers are one of the worst teams in the league and the talent on the roster showcases why that is the case. There are any really exciting potential trade targets for the Lakers, with the most exciting being guard Donte Exum.
Exum has one more season under contract and then is an unrestricted free agent and the Cleveland Cavaliers absolutely would and should be willing to shop him this offseason. The team already has young guard depth on the roster and should take anything they can get for Exum.
Exum is not someone who would come to Los Angeles and fill up the box sheets, although he is someone who would serve a specific purpose. Let’s say that Rajon Rondo leaves town and the Lakers task Alex Caruso to take most of Rondo’s minutes, and maybe even Dion Waiters.
The team is still going to need to add some guard depth and Exum would be a good fit as he can play really good defense. He is really big for a point guard (six-foot-six) and has the speed and lateral quickness to play good on-ball defense against most NBA guards.
The biggest hangup is the contract as Exum is set to make $9.6 million next season, a number that would be hard to get to.
To make it happen, the Lakers would need to trade Quinn Cook, Talen Horton-Tucker and have Rajon Rondo agree to a sign and trade and opt in to the last year of his contract and hope the Cleveland Cavaliers buy him out.
There would probably be a second-round pick involved as well, but THT would be the main asset that Cleveland got in return. Would that be worth it? You be the judge.