Los Angeles Lakers: A risky trade for a recent lottery pick that makes sense
By Jason Reed
2. Why the Los Angeles Lakers may say yes to this Lauri Markkanen trade
The first thing to consider is the exact same point I made about the Chicago Bulls. It is much better for the Los Angeles Lakers to get something for Schroder than nothing. If the Lakers find a team in the Bulls that wants to bring him in and is willing to pay for him then it makes sense to try and get something out of it.
It hurts the team more than it helps them if he outright signs with the Bulls as a free agent. The Lakers lose that cap space that they could have used with his Bird Rights and they cannot use it on anyone else.
In getting Markkanen, the Lakers are at least getting something. Are there better potential deals out there? Yes. Does that mean those are guaranteed to be legitimate options? No.
Markkanen gives the team someone with potential that is still only 23 years old. He is a bit redundant as a four but as a seven-footer, he can play the five and is more of a modern NBA five than anyone else on the Lakers’ roster (not named Anthony Davis since he INSISTS on playing the four).
Markkanen can stretch the floor (shooting 40.2% from beyond the arc last season) and can rebound the basketball if he is better utilized as a five, not a four. He is not an elite rebounder by any means, but with LeBron and AD next to him he would be just fine.
He is a much better fit for this team than Kyle Kuzma is and this opens the door for a Kuzma trade as well. The Lakers could trade for Markkanen and then flip Kuzma is another deal to get a playmaking point guard or whatever else is on the market.
I would much rather have Markkanen get Kuzma’s minutes even if Markkanen is not the greatest of defenders (neither is Kuzma).
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Yes, the Los Angeles Lakers would have to overpay Markkanen as he would have to sign a deal for four years and $80-100 million. However, he is a young player with the potential to get better. He may not be a future all-star, but he absolutely can be the third-best player on a title-winning team.