The biggest move that the Los Angeles Lakers made over the summer was a trade for Patrick Beverley. And to be fair, with Talen Horton-Tucker not really offering much, the trade seemed like a genius one at the time.
Beverley has been disappointed and is now on the trade block. But at least he is an expiring contract unlike Horton-Tucker, who has also been disappointing this season. The worst part about that trade never involved Beverley or THT, though, it was the fact that the Lakers included Stanley Johnson in the deal as a throwaway contract.
Utah waived Johnson before the season and after a brief stint with the Miami Heat’s G League affiliate, Johnson signed an NBA deal with the San Antonio Spurs. The hope then was that Johnson would eventually get waived by San Antonio, as he could then rejoin a wing-hungry Lakers team. Him joining the Spurs allows the Lakers to reacquire him this season if they have the opportunity.
However, Los Angeles may not ever get the chance to do so as Johnson thrived in his first real game with the Spurs on Monday. After appearing in six combined minutes in his first two games, Gregg Popovich finally gave him some run and he played well. Johnson scored 10 points with three rebounds and three assists in 19 minutes. He shot 4-6 from the field and 2-3 from three.
Popovich on win v Houston, player contributions, thoughts on Stanley Johnson #porvida #nba #gospursgo pic.twitter.com/n9Yir8mHdj
— JeffGSpursKENS5 (@JeffGSpursZone) December 20, 2022
Stanley Johnson is exactly the kind of player the Lakers need right now.
It would be one thing if Stanley Johnson was just a missed opportunity in the free-agent market. Every team has those and the Lakers have several from this past summer. While it can be frustrating, hindsight is always 20/20 when it comes to that.
What makes the Johnson situation painful is the fact that he was with the Lakers last season and actually played quite well in the chances he was given. Add in the fact that this roster was already very thin in regards to wings when the trade happened and it is pretty clear that merely attaching Johnson was not the best move.
Johnson saw improvements in his jump shot with the Lakers and there is a good chance that the 26-year-old continued to improve in that regard. If his shot continues to grow and improve he is only going to add more value as a three-and-D role player.
Johnson didn’t just slip through the Lakers’ fingers, he was actively given away by the team despite the team needing exactly what he offers as a player.
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Now the only hope is that the Spurs don’t have room for him and eventually waive him, allowing the Lakers to reunite with him. But even if that happens, fans cannot really trust Rob Pelinka to make the right decision.