The Los Angeles Lakers have a lot of hurdles that they are going to have to overcome this offseason. The future of most of the roster is uncertain and there is a good chance that we see just as much roster changes this offseason as last offseason.
There are several players that likely will not suit up for the purple and gold next season, one of which is likely going to be Dennis Schroder. Schroder’s tenure with the Lakers has certainly been interesting with high expectations heading into the season and a roller coaster of highs and lows.
At times he looked like the player that won the Sixth Man of the Year award last season. Other times he revealed himself to be the ball-stopping point guard that he is that did not mesh well at all with the team.
The Los Angeles Lakers were interested in bringing Schroder back and apparently offered him a four-year, $84 million contract that he rejected. The Lakers should be happy that he rejected it, especially after he put up a goose egg in the playoffs.
The Los Angeles Lakers can still re-sign Dennis Schroder… to trade him of course.
With the bind that the Lakers are in financially and the fact that Schroder is far from a great fit, the Lakers could utilize the Bird Rights they have on Schroder to sign-and-trade him to another team.
This could include a sign-and-trade for another free agent that re-signs with his respective team, which has been done before, or it could include an existing player on another team that simply is not a great fit.
Schroder is in a weird position where he is probably going to be overpaid and contenders might not want to take on that contract. Finding a sign-and-trade partner could be difficult, so we decided to pinpoint three teams the Lakers could call.
1. Miami Heat
Player to sign-and-trade for: Victor Oladipo
Anyone that follows my work here at Lake Show Life knows that I was a big advocate in the Los Angeles Lakers trading for Victor Oladipo. Oladipo was eventually traded to the Miami Heat and for the package the Rockets got, the Lakers definitely could have made a move.
Oladipo ended up getting hut and we would have to assume, especially with the Lakers’ luck, that he would have gotten hurt in LA as well. That being said, it is safe to assume that Oladipo would not have made or break a deep playoff run for the Lakers.
Oladipo seems destined to re-sign with the Miami Heat but after the injury that might not be in the Heat’s best interest. Plus, Oladipo was not that great of a fit in the games that he did play in Miami.
This would all be contingent on whether or not Miami would want to pivot from Oladipo to Schroder and whether or not Oladipo wants to be a Laker. While he would have to pay state income tax with the Lakers, it is hard to see him not wanting to be a contender.
This is an upside move by the Lakers. Knowing Dennis Schroder is not a great fit and the options are limited, the Lakers would be betting on the upside of Oladipo, which as we have seen in previous years, is an all-star that is one of the best two-way players in the league.
That upside is definitely not guaranteed but sometimes contenders simply have to take a risk.
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.
3. New Orleans Pelicans
Player to sign-and-trade for: Steven Adams
It became quite clear throughout the season that Steven Adams was not a great fit for the New Orleans Pelicans. While still a solid player, the Pelicans are not built for a traditional center, at least as long as Zion Williamson is on the team.
The Pelicans are at their best when Zion can essentially run point center. His size does not even matter for the center position as Zion has unmatched athleticism and has more than proven that he can bang down low in the NBA.
The Pelicans also have a restricted free agent in Lonzo Ball. You could make the case for a point guard swap, which I certainly would be okay with, but it might make more sense for the Pelicans to use this chance to pivot off of Adams’ contract when he is not a great fit.
The team can still bring back Lonzo Ball and run a three-guard rotation of Ball, Schroder and Eric Bledsoe with Schroder off the bench. Or, they could flip Ball’s restricted free agency into more assets in a different sign and trade.
Jaxson Hayes is more than capable of taking an uptick in minutes and the Pelicans could even use a late pick on another big man just for depth. At the end of the day, they can afford to move on from Adams and they should.
As for the Lakers, Adams would provide a rim-protecting presence that would not clog the lane as much as Andre Drummond and could play great off of LeBron James and Anthony Davis.
Is he a bit overpaid? Yes, but this is still an asset for an asset which is the entire goal of the sign-and-trade.