2. The Los Angeles Lakers have just enough trade capital to make the deal workable.
I’m going to preface this slide by saying this — listen to The Lake Show Life Podcast if you don’t already because I have said this multiple times — Kyle Kuzma is not that great of a basketball player.
He fits the offensive burst dynamic that the Lakers need off the bench, but nothing more. He made strides in the bubble defensively, but he is never going to be the third superstar that the Lakers’ front office seemed to think he would be.
Kuzma cannot be considered a centerpiece in a deal of this nature simply based on merit, but the Lakers can supply additional pieces to ensure the trade scales are balanced. A deal of this structure should suffice:
- Los Angeles Lakers receive: Victor Oladipo
- Indiana Pacers receive: Danny Green, Kyle Kuzma, two future second-round picks
The Pacers will likely milk Oladipo for more, but he is a downright risk at this point considering how blatantly awful he looked this past season. The Pacers do not hold the leverage in these negotiations unless Oladipo envisions his future to be in Indiana and desires an extension. In that case, things will surely play out a lot differently.
A big three of LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and Victor Oladipo with role players and ring chasers around them doesn’t sound like such a bad idea. Add in the potential of Boogie Cousins coming back to the Lakers while hopefully staying healthy and you have a terrific core more than capable of repeating as NBA champions and potentially being in the mix into the future.