Los Angeles Lakers: A risky trade for a recent lottery pick that makes sense
By Jason Reed
This offseason is going to be extremely interesting to watch unfold for the Los Angeles Lakers. Rob Pelinka had extra time to prepare his gameplan as the Lakers were eliminated in the first round of the NBA Playoffs and after last offseason, it is safe to say that we can expect a lot of activity.
There are so many moving parts on the Lakers this offseason. There are only five players who are under contract for next season and one of which, Kyle Kuzma, very well could be traded.
We have the potential of a Dennis Schroder sign-and-trade, whatever Montrezl Harrell’s future holds with his player option and the two extremely important free agents of Alex Caruso and Talen Horton-Tucker.
The Los Angeles Lakers really need to nail this offseason if the title window is going to remain open. This is likely going to lead to the front office having a different mindset than previous years.
The Los Angeles Lakers won’t be afraid to make a risky move.
There are several risky moves that we have broken down here at Lake Show Life. Most recently, we looked at the risky third stars the Lakers could trade for while also trading up in the draft to select Corey Kispert. While great on paper, those moves present their own risks.
There is another risky move the team can make for a recent lottery selection — Lauri Markkanen. Markkanen was selected seventh overall in the 2017 NBA Draft and is a restricted free agent for the Chicago Bulls this offseason.
Markkanen’s future with the Bulls is unclear and the Lakers could pull off a trade for the young forward, which is actually more likely than you may think due to recent reports we have heard.
It definitely would be risky. Let’s break down the interworkings of the trade itself and why the Los Angeles Lakers would potentially be willing to pull it off.