2. Orlando Magic
Player to sign-and-trade for: Otto Porter
Otto Porter is an unrestricted free agent after being traded from the Chicago Bulls to the Orlando Magic this past season. Porter had one of the worst contracts in basketball but that contract led to him being one of the most underrated players in basketball as well.
While he certainly is not an elite player, he is a solid role player that could be one of the seven best players of a title-winning team if used properly. Porter has legitimate potential as a three and D wing, especially when he is shooting 40% from beyond the arc as he was in Chicago last season.
Porter seemed destined to be bought out by Orlando when he was traded there but he never was. The Magic held onto him and perhaps it was to turn him into an asset that the team can use for depth now and can potentially flip in the future.
That would be the move here for Orlando. For the Lakers, Porter would have to sign a deal around two years, $30 million with the second year being a club option. This is an option if Schroder does not get as much money as he expected in the open market.
The Magic would then get Schroder, presumably, on a three-year, $60-65 million deal. There is wiggle room of course, but that is how the numbers would work out if Porter got two years for $30 million. Schroder takes a three-year deal in this situation with a player option to opt-out if his market value increases after two years.
Orlando is the perfect place for Schroder. It is somewhere where he can go and put up garbage time numbers and raise his value. Orlando is simply swapping free agents with the Lakers in a way that makes is possible for the Lakers with the salary cap.
The best-case scenario for Orlando is Schroder putting up great numbers, increasing his worth and then becoming a trade deadline piece where they can continue to stack assets. That is the long-term play here.