3. Bringing in a former LeBron James teammate
This is not a trade that I necessarily love (pun intended) but it is a deal that I could absolutely see the Los Angeles Lakers doing if they were out of options and could not pull off a sign-and-trade for Dennis Schroder elsewhere.
The Cleveland Cavaliers are not going to look for much capital in a trade for Love. Love has one of the worst contracts in the league and just getting it off the books is going to be good for Cleveland. In this deal, the Cavs avoid buying out Love and get two assets that they could flip in the future for actual assets.
Harrell can be given a chance to shine and then be flipped for a first-round pick to a contender that needs scoring at the deadline. That happens time and time again. Schroder could play it out for a year, year and a half before being flipped for more capital.
Schroder would have to agree to a contract that gives him a salary in the $20-25 million range. He is asking for $100-120 million overall, but he likely won’t get that anywhere so this is his best bet.
Again, this would be a risk and a slight desperation move by the Lakers. The team would lean into its size with LeBron, AD and Kevin Love all on the court. AD and Love could operate together and the team can call Love the five just to make AD happy but both can rebound, rim protect and stretch the floor.
It is not a perfect fit, but in the modern NBA, it could definitely work.