The Los Angeles Lakers are definitely still in the Kyrie Irving market but that market may no longer exist. A Kevin Durant trade seems extremely unlikely after the latest reports and thus, an Irving trade will not happen.
Los Angeles still has the massive Russell Westbrook contact on the books and needs to get him off the team. There is a zero percent chance that the Lakers will win the NBA Championship with Westbrook on the team, so moving him is imperative.
There certainly are various options for the team to consider. But what is the best-case scenario for the Lakers if Irving is indeed not coming to LA?
The best-case starting 5 that the Los Angeles Lakers can build without Kyrie Irving:
Before diving into the best-case starting five, we have to go over the obvious. LeBron James and Anthony Davis are obviously going to be part of the starting five. That is not worth breaking down, for obvious reasons.
However, nobody else that is currently slated to be in the starting five should be in the starting five. The other three positions would be filled with other players in this best-case scenario. Having Lonnie Walker and Thomas Bryant in the starting five is not the best-case scenario, although they could be good bench options.
That means that the Lakers have two starting guard spots and another starting spot in the front court. Los Angeles certainly can add players in each of these positions. Let’s dive into who the other members of this best-case starting five would be.
Lakers’ best-case center: Myles Turner
Myles Turner is one of the most interesting players in the league. Three years ago he was viewed as one of the better centers in the league and when he was put on the trade market it was assumed that he would get a decent return for the Indiana Pacers.
However, Turner has been on the trade market for so long and Indiana has not made a move, indicating that he is not that valuable as a trade asset. He is on an expiring contract now and is not going to warrant a big return (more on that later, though).
Turner definitely is not a perfect center and there are areas of his game that you can dissect when it comes to how he would fit on the Lakers. That being said, there is also reason to believe that he would play better in Los Angeles and maximize his abilities.
Having Anthony Davis in the front court is massive for Turner on both ends of the floor. Defensively, Turner can lean on Davis a bit and his ability to defend outside of the paint, which is something that Turner struggles with.
Offensively, having an elite presence near the rim is only going to help the floor spacing for Turner, who can really capitalize on his long-range game as a stretch five. If Turner is coming to Los Angeles then there is obviously going to be another player from the Indiana Pacers that is going to come with him…
Lakers’ best-case shooting guard: Buddy Hield
If you have followed any of the Russell Westbrook/Kyrie Irving speculation over the last few months then you know that the most-talked-about backup plan for the Lakers is a Buddy Hield/Myles Turner package.
The Pacers reportedly already turned down an offer from the Lakers that included Westbrook and a future first-round pick for Turner and Hield. With neither Turner and Hield having much trade value, the Lakers could wait it out and see if they can get the price down to one pick or maybe a pick and a protected pick.
However, if it ultimately boils down to it, the Lakers likely would be willing to trade two first-round picks. While that is a lot just to get off Westbrook for Hield and Turner, the Lakers do have more future draft picks than advertised, so it is not completely mortgaging the future.
Hield, like Turner, has his flaws as a player as he is not someone who is going to play good defense in LA. However, Hield is one of the most prolific three-point shooters in the league and he will only get better with LeBron James facilitating.
The Lakers desperately need three-point shooting and getting Hield could pretty much be like getting a better version of Malik Monk. Add Turner to the mix with Hield and suddenly the Lakers actually have to be respected from beyond the arc.
Lakers’ best-case point guard: Patrick Beverley
Patrick Beverley was traded to the Utah Jazz in the Rudy Gobert trade and he is likely not going to spend much time with the organization. Beverley is on an expiring deal and it makes much more sense for Utah to trade him for something rather than keeping him.
Los Angeles could flip Talen Horton-Tucker for Beverley if they did want to make a trade. The Lakers are reportedly not interested in making that swap, but quite frankly, they should be. THT is one of the most overrated assets in recent Lakers history and even if he does blossom as a player, it won’t come until after his current contract is over.
While the team is reportedly not interested in pursuing that kind of trade it certainly could still happen if the team comes to its senses later in the offseason. An even better situation for LA would be Beverley simply getting bought out if no other contender wants to trade for him.
Regardless, Pat Bev would be a nice point guard to add to the team. While not in his prime, it would give the team a promising perimeter defender to make up for some of the defensive deficiencies of Hield. Plus, putting Beverley with Anthony Davis could have really good results.
Beverley does not need to dominate the basketball to be successful, which is what you want in a point guard next to LeBron James, and he can hit down shots as an off-ball shooter. He is not an elite shooter but he can hold his own.
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That would give the Lakers a starting five of Beverley-Hield-LeBron-Davis-Turner. It is not absolutely dominant but it is good enough to contend for a title.