How the Los Angeles Lakers could benefit from a James Harden trade
By Jason Reed
1. It could open the door for a future P.J. Tucker trade
If the Houston Rockets trade James Harden then that means they should go into full sell-mode. If the Rockets go into full sell-mode then that guarantees that P.J. Tucker will be traded from the team.
Tucker would be a great bench addition to the Los Angeles Lakers, essentially being a better version of Markieff Morris. With no traditional second center, getting a forward like Tucker to open the door for Morris to play small-ball center if needed would add a ne dynamic to the rotation.
It would be an embarrasment of riches, but one that the Lakers certainly would be interested in. There are already reports of the team potentially being interested in Trevor Ariza if he gets bought out and Tucker provides a similar dynamic.
The one problem with this is that the Los Angeles Lakers do not have a ton of trade capital. We would have previously pointed at Kyle Kuzma, but the Lakers have agreed to a contract extension with the young forward, removing any realistic chance of him being traded.
The team could make a package around Alfonzo McKinnie, Quinn Cook and Devontae Cacok with future second-round picks, but that might not be enough. Regardless, it would still become a possibility.