A disaster trade with the Knicks and Jazz the Lakers must avoid at all costs
By Jason Reed
The first domino fell for the Los Angeles Lakers last week as the team traded Talen Horton-Tucker and Stanley Johnson to the Utah Jazz for Patrick Beverley. That trade essentially signaled that a Russell Westbrook trade was around the corner, which is what fans have been waiting for all offseason.
Speculation grew this past weekend when NBA insider Marc Stein reported that Utah Jazz President Danny Ainge covets the Lakers’ 2027 and 2029 first-round picks and that if a Donovan Mitchell trade happens, the Lakers could end up being a third team involved.
Anything that gets Westbrook off the roster would make the team better next season and there are several different routes the Lakers could explore in a potential Mitchell blockbuster. That being said, there is one type of trad that the Lakers should avoid at all costs, regardless of how desperate they are to get Westbrook off the books.
The disaster trade package that the Los Angeles Lakers should avoid:
With there being so many players that can be moved there are variations of this package, but they all follow a similar trend and should be avoided nonetheless by LA.
The worst possible trade the Los Angeles Lakers can make in a Donovan Mitchell trade is not one that includes Julius Randle, as there still is potential there. It is one where the Lakers get uninspiring role players back that both the Knicks and Jazz want to get rid of.
Evan Fournier has potential has a three and D role player and he has been really good in that role in the past. I do think that LeBron James could elevate him back to being who he was the Orlando Magic. Fournier is under contract for three more years.
Mike Conley is a former all-star who simply does not have it anymore and is set to make over $22 million this season. He is under contract for another season, albeit his salary is only partially guaranteed next season. It still is not a small figure, as $14.3 million is guaranteed.
Cam Reddish is a former lottery pick that the Lakers have been in reported trade talks for in the past. Reddish has not transitioned well into the NBA and LA would be taking on a project that they would be hoping to solve.
This trade does absolutely nothing for the Lakers. Is the team better in having depth instead of Russell Westbrook? Sure. But is this is a team that is going to contend for an NBA Championship? Absolutely not. The Lakers’ ceiling with these role players in the tough Western Conference is one series win, even with LeBron and Anthony Davis.
Not only would LA be trading two future first-round picks to go from a ninth seed to a fifth seed, but the team would be taking on contracts that give them no flexibility. If the team waives Conley next season they would still take on a combined $33.1 million cap hit, essentially for one player in Evan Fournier.
At this rate, the Lakers are better off keeping Westbrook and their picks, as bad as that sounds. If this was the only option for the team then Rob Pelinka should simply be patient and see if the door ever opens for the Myles Turner/Buddy Hield trade with the Pacers.
That is the best that LA can do right now and doing that in February would be far better than doing this trade in September.