NBA insider foreshadows what trade the Lakers will end up making
By Jason Reed
The Los Angeles Lakers made progress to contending for a championship next season by signing LeBron James to a two-year contract extension on Wednesday. While that move in itself does not change the roster for next season, it does signal that LeBron is confident in the front office doing what it can to contend.
The next step is trading Russell Westbrook and unfortunately for the Lakers, it does not seem like the Brooklyn Nets are interested in shipping Kyrie Irving to LA, even for two first-round picks. Thus, the Lakers may have to explore one of several backup options.
Adrian Wojnarowski may have foreshadowed which avenue the Lakers will take recently on ESPN. Wojnarowski said the following on NBA Today about what Rob Pelinka has been doing in recent weeks (h/t Real GM):
"“Rob Pelinka has still been very active, even in the dog days of August. He’s been on the phone a lot, he’s still trying to find deals to bring in more shooting, perhaps some size.”"
Shooting and size. There is one potential Russell Westbrook trade package that would so happen to add both of those things to the roster.
Adrian Wojnarowski is foreshadowing the Lakers trading for Buddy Hield and Myles Turner.
This has been the plan B option that has been talked about for quite some time now. The Lakers reportedly do not want to trade two first-round picks in this potential deal for Hield and Turner, but at some point, one side is going to give.
If the Lakers can get the price down to just one first-round pick then great, the two sides can instantly phone in the trade package to the league office. However, there will be a point where the rubber meets the road and the Lakers may simply have to give in to the Pacers’ request. Perhaps the two sides can meet in the middle and make it a top-three protected pick.
Regardless, the Lakers will either get desperate or the Pacers will realize they have no other market for these two players and take the best offer they can get. Teams are not lining up to trade for Hield or Turner, and like we saw with Malcolm Brogdon, Indiana may cave and take the best possible package.
The fact that Pelinka is looking to add both size and shooting makes it pretty apparent that this trade package is on his radar. Buddy Hield is one of the most prominent shooters in the league while Turner adds the size (as well as the shooting).
Would the Lakers be bonafide contenders with this trade? No. Would they be much better off than they are with Russell Westbrook? Absolutely.