How the Los Angeles Lakers could trade for Victor Oladipo
By Jason Reed
Why the Los Angeles Lakers could say yes to this Victor Oladipo trade:
I know that the first reaction for most fans when they see a trade like this is a stern. Fans — and rightfully so — love the players that are currently on the team and do not want to see the fan-favorites go. The biggest of which in this instance is Talen Horton-Tucker.
I am a big THT fan and in a perfect world, the Los Angeles Lakers would keep him around. However, we have to remember the fact that he is a restricted free agent and that he could be lured away from Los Angeles.
There is the belief that THT could receive a poison-pill offer sheet, which is a problem for the Lakers. Since they would be over salary cap (assuming they bring back Schroder), the Lakers would have to take the average cap hit of a poison-pill contract, not the year-by-year cap hit (poison-pill contracts start smaller then balloons at the end of the contract).
MUST-READ: Teams that could sign THT to a poison-pill contract
The Los Angeles Lakers cannot afford to take that average as it currently stands, so if THT accepts that offer unless the Lakers clear house just to sign him back, he is likely gone.
On the other hand, the Lakers would get Oladipo’s Bird Rights if they traded for him, so they could afford to go over the cap to bring him back if deemed fit. In an ironic way, the Lakers would get more long-term help by getting the older, more established player.
KCP is wildly inconsistent and the Lakers would be just fine replacing him with Oladipo in the rotation. Morris and McKinnie (and maybe even THT) won’t be in the playoff rotation as is, so they can afford to trade them and elevate the two-way players for depth for the regular season.