The biggest hole on the Los Angeles Lakers roster has been on full display early on in the 2022-23 season as the team looks like one of the worst three-point shooting teams the modern NBA has ever produced. It has been so bad that even LeBron James has publically buried the roster already.
Demands for a Russell Westbrook trade are already plentiful as well. Westbrook was woeful against the Los Angeles Clippers and fans — who expect greatness out of this franchise — have seen enough. Change needs to happen.
Rob Pelinka and the front office reportedly have a set timeline that they are going to adhere to so we might not see immediate change soon. However, when it finally gets too much for the team to handle, we could see LA pull the trigger on one of various Westbrook trades, which should definitely include some three-point shooting coming back to the purple and gold.
Here are 5 three-point shooters the Lakers could add via a Russell Westbrook trade:
1. Buddy Hield
This is the most obvious inclusion as this looks like the most likely trade that the Lakers can make. While a lot can change in the NBA, the no. 1 trade that Lakers fans are asking for is a swap of Westbrook for Buddy Hield and Myles Turner.
While Hield has his problems as an all-around player, he is one of the most prolific three-point shooters in the entire league. He is not much of an off-ball scorer but he would add someone to this roster that other teams have to respect from three.
Turner can also help space the floor for the Lakers as well, giving LA a shooting presence in the frontcourt. I would not include him on this list of dedicated three-point shooters, but just having that body that can essentially be a four on offense and a five on defense would be great for the Lakers.
Would it make them a title contender? The front office seemingly doesn’t think so, as a trade would have happened by now if so.
2. Doug McDermott
The San Antonio Spurs always made sense for Russell Westbrook and they will continue to make even more sense for Westbrook as the season goes along. It is very obvious that the Spurs are tanking for Victor Wembanyama this season and to be able to get two first-round picks for taking on a contract to buy out would be beautiful for the team.
So much so that Spurs fans have gone from cringing at the idea of adding Westbrook in the summer to now welcoming it with open arms. There is not much going on in San Antonio this season so this is probably the best move the team can make all year.
One of the shooters that the Lakers could ask for in return is Doug McDermott, who has one more year under contract after this season. McDermott has certainly had his fair share of success from beyond the arc in his career and would benefit from the open looks he would get in Los Angeles.
McDermott shot 42.2% from beyond the arc last season and has shot 40.9% from three in his career in 3.9 attempts per game. It definitely is not a small sample size — McDermott can shoot.
McDermott is not very good defensively but the Lakers actually look better defensively than expected because of all the effort they are putting into that side of the floor. McDermott could be elevated in that regard and would actually give the team some real size at six-seven so they can stop playing Patrick Beverley at small forward.
3. Josh Richardson
If the Lakers were going to get Doug McDermott in a trade then they would have to bring in additional players to make the money work. If so, the most obvious inclusion to a trade would be Josh Richardson, who is on an expiring contract and makes sense as a Lakers role player.
Richardson has not had as much career success shooting the basketball as his teammate but he has had some really solid years that show that he can pull up from three. Even his floor is fine at 36.5% (which would be elite on this Lakers team) and he has a ceiling of a 40% shooter. Richardson shot 41.5% from three last season.
In theory, Richardson could be a version of Kentavious Caldwell-Pope for the Lakers. KCP has played better than Richardson but KCP also wasn’t that great before being utilized on the Lakers. There absolutely is a world in which the Lakers could elevate Richardson to essentially be a KCP clone on this roster.
That is because he can also play defense on the perimeter, giving the Lakers an option at two-guard with size to play instead of Kendrick Nunn in key spots.
Is a Richardson and McDermott trade as exciting as Hield and Turner? Not at all. But if the Lakers are not sold on either package making them a contender, and the Spurs are willing to take just one pick back in return, I could see Rob Pelinka favoring that deal over a Pacers deal that takes two picks.
4. Terry Rozier
It is a well-known secret that the Los Angeles Lakers do not want to take on too much future money in a potential Russell Westbrook trade. The team is spinning that desire as them simply wanting to remain financially flexible for next offseason to be able to spend in free agency.
While that is certainly part of it, Los Angeles is not going to end up signing a superstar to a big salary anyway. Why? Jeanie Buss and the Lakers seemingly just want to avoid the repeater tax for going over the luxury tax yet again. We have seen this franchise be cheap before (Alex Caruso) so don’t be shocked if that is the main motive.
That could take someone like Terry Rozier out of the equation, which is interesting because on paper, Rozier could make sense for this team. He would add to the logjam of short guards on this roster but he would bring a scoring dynamic that none of the guards on the team has.
Rozier is averaging just a shade under 20 points per game since joining the Charlotte Hornets and has shot 38.9% on 7.7 attempts per game. Fans are all lauding Buddy Hield’s ability to shoot but Rozier is right there with him. In that same time frame, Hield has shot 38.3% on 9.5 attempts per game.
The potential hurdle is the fact that Rozier is under contract for three more seasons at over $20 million per season (with the last year of his deal being partially guaranteed). That is ultimately the reason why the Hornets would be okay moving him, and why the Lakers may scoff at the deal.
5. Gordon Hayward
Like with the Spurs’ duo, the Los Angeles Lakers could end up doing a two-for-one with the Hornets where they get Terry Rozier and Gordon Hayward in return. While Hayward is known for his ability to slash to the basket, he certainly is no slouch shooting the basketball.
The former all-star has shot 40.1% on 4.6 attempts per game since he joined the Hornets. Not only would he add a shooting presence to the team, but he would be a much better version of McDermott as he would also add size and give the Lakers a true small forward to start.
The biggest concern with Hayward, outside of his contract, is his injury history. The Lakers are already on thin ice with their health with LeBron and AD and Hayward would just add another risky injury-prone player to the mix.
Hayward’s contract is not as long as Rozier’s but the salary hit is larger. Hayward has a $30.75 million cap hit this season and a $31.5 million cap hit next season. Los Angeles probably doesn’t want to take that risk, but don’t be surprised if they do. It is hard to think that Pelinka won’t make a lesser trade if it only takes one pick.
It is still hard to believe that the Lakers would take both Rozier and Hayward in the same trade because of financial reasons. If Charlotte got desperate enough to shed money and was willing to do the trade without a pick involved then maybe it is a possibility for a stingy Lakers’ front office.
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However, it is more likely that the Lakers would trade for one or the other. Hayward can be packaged with Kelly Oubre Jr; Rozier can be packaged with Oubre and Mason Plumlee. Both are on expiring contracts.