Los Angeles Lakers: 3 players to target from the East’s worst teams

JaVale McGee

The Los Angeles Lakers would have to get creative to land this old friend

The Los Angeles Lakers traded JaVale McGee for two non-guaranteed contracts in Jordan Bell and McKinnie in the offseason solely to open up cap space to sign Marc Gasol. While I cannot fault the team for making the move when they did, it has since become clear that they need someone like McGee alongside Gasol.

The Lakers reportedly have interest in bringing McGee back if the chips fall the right way. That is the problem for the Lakers, though: the chips have to fall exactly the right way.

The Lakers cannot acquire McGee directly from the Cleveland Cavaliers nor can they sign him if he is bought out from the Cavs since they just traded him this past offseason. McGee would have to be traded then released or traded then traded again to the Lakers.

Luckily, there is a way that the Lakers could get creative and get a deal done for McGee. I covered this in an article earlier this month, but the Lakers could essentially orchestrate a three-team deal where the third team is getting looped into the deal to acquire McGee from the Cavaliers with the understanding that he will be bought out to sign with the Lakers.

This would require McGee’s cooperation as well, but it could happen. A team I looped in previously (and it can be any bad team with a small contract to trade) was the Washington Wizards.

The Wizards would acquire McGee from the Cavs and send Ish Smith to Cleveland. The Lakers would send the Cavs a second-round pick for McGee and Devontae Cacok to the Wizards and not get anything in return in the deal. The Wizards would buy out McGee. The Lakers sign him and fill the hole.

Of course, I think this is just a contingency plan for the Los Angeles Lakers. Andre Drummond is the prize jewel of the potential buyout market and Hassan Whiteside is a solid option as well.