LA to LA: 3 ways a LaMarcus Aldridge trade could help the Lakers
LeBron James will have extra help
LeBron James and Anthony Davis have had a heavy load on their shoulders all season.
While the General Manager Rob Pelinka was able to put a championship-caliber roster around James and Davis, at times during the playoffs, especially during the NBA Finals, it was very apparent that the Los Angeles Lakers did not have a 3rd consistent scorer they could go to.
We can safely say that the front office’s goal was to land a 3rd-star last summer.
They tried to get Kawhi Leonard, Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, and D’Angelo Rusell and unfortunately missed out on all of the above.
While the Lakers have done things in such a way whereas they will have enough cap room in the Summer of 2021 to try and land Giannis Antetokounmpo, with COVID-19 and the debacle in China, Giannis will more than likely take the guaranteed money from the Bucks and if he needs to, force a trade down the line.
By adding LaMarcus Aldridge, the Lakers get the best of both worlds.
They get a 3rd consistent scorer in Aldridge for the 2020-21 season and maintain cap space for 2021 in pursuit of Giannis.
All of the above measures do signal something important for the Lakers moving forward.
Adding a 3rd star relieves the pressure on LeBron James to be superhuman every single night.
LeBron James was on a mission this season — to prove to the rest of the world that he is not washed.
After how dominant King James has been this season, I don’t think the naysayers are talking that much anymore.
While LeBron was otherworldly this season, it is time to put a group of players around him who can take the pressure off him during the regular season and allow him to play at 70% of his capacity all year rather than going all out to make sure the purple and gold win each game.
Adding Aldridge allows for the likes of Anthony Davis and LaMarcus Aldridge to take the scoring load off of James and will allow him to still get numbers but not have to play the last minutes of a tight game just in case the Lakers are not getting the job done.
This could be incredibly important for the purple and gold come playoff time next season.
LeBron isn’t getting any younger, and this could be the perfect move to allow him to get some rest during the regular season.