The Los Angeles Lakers are looking to improve the team by any means necessary this offseason, which could result in a Kyrie Irving trade. Los Angeles should not stop there, though, as there is more to building this roster than signing the right veterans to the league minimum.
Rob Pelinka should also be looking to trade Talen Horton-Tucker this offseason. There are compelling reasons for the Lakers to trade THT and if the team can improve the title odds for next season then they should not even think twice.
The problem is that the team has tried to trade THT multiple times in the past and has come up short each time. THT does not have as much value as the Lakers thought he did. However, the Lakers can still get a solid role player and can actually bring back a player who previously won a championship with the team to try and repeat that in 2023.
According to Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report, the Washington Wizards are listening to offers for both Kyle Kuzma and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope. Kuzma, as frustrating as he was in LA, has more trade value than KCP and the Lakers would not be able to flip THT for Kuzma.
However, with KCP being on an expiring deal, there is absolutely a world in which the team could flip THT and a future second-round pick to Washington to bring KCP back into the fold. The Wizards would get a younger player to try and develop in THT while the Lakers would get a familiar face who knows what it takes to play next to LeBron James.
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope is far better for the Lakers than Talen Horton-Tucker.
THT simply has not been good for the Los Angeles Lakers and while he does have future potential in this league, that potential may not even become realized until he leaves the Lakers regardless. For that reason, the team might as well get immediate help in KCP.
There was speculation earlier this offseason that the Lakers could be interested in bringing KCP back if he were to become a free agent. KCP’s contract is only partially guaranteed, so there is a world in which a team takes him back in a trade solely to save money and releases him, saving $10 million in the process.
However, the team can also skip the middle man and trade for KCP straight up. As it stands right now, the Lakers would have to throw in another $1 million contract to make the trade work money-wise. That is not a big hurdle as the team can attach someone like Jay Huff to the trade.
If a Kyrie Irving trade does happen the Lakers would be saving money by trading Westbrook so they should be willing to take on the extra $3 million with KCP.
Los Angeles really struggled defensively last season and having someone who can hold his own on the perimeter and also knockdown shots as an off-ball scorer is huge for LA. KCP’s presence was really missed on last year’s team and it was an eye-opener to just how important he (and others) were to the team’s 2020 title push.
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The Los Angeles Lakers have a long off-season ahead of them one full of questions surrounding their star players and who the
Perhaps the team can catch lightning in a bottle twice with Kentavious Caldwell-Pope by trading back for him.