The Los Angeles Lakers potential trade package for Victor Oladipo:
So there is a lot to digest here. The Lakers are sending a package of four players to make this work financially. Oladipo actually does not have that large of a salary ($21 million), which makes this trade possible just from a numbers standpoint.
This is around the absolute ceiling of how much the Lakers could get in a trade. Anything $25 million or up would have to include Dennis Schroder and that just is not going to happen. Nothing showcased Schroder’s impact on the team more than when he missed four games.
Talen Horton-Tucker is the big name of the package and he is the young piece that the Houston Rockets would be acquiring in return. THT is a restricted free agent after this season and there is the possibility of another team offering too much for the Lakers to afford and THT leaving. That is important to remember.
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope is the next-biggest name. Oladipo would essentially replace KCP in the rotation and he is a big part of this trade as he is the one that makes the numbers work. It really comes down to him or Montrezl Harrell and the Lakers would trade him before Trez every day of the week.
Markieff Morris and Alfonzo McKinnie are just in there for filler. The Lakers have to get the salaries to match and adding Morris and McKinnie accomplishes just that.
It is also important to note that the first-round pick would have to be a handshake agreement. The Lakers’ pick is protected from 8-30 (so they will undoubtedly get it) but the team cannot technically trade it right now because of the Steipen rule.
Thus, the pick would be “traded” in the sense that the Lakers would still own the pick, make the selection in the draft that Houston wants and then trade said player to Houston. We see that happen every year.