The NBA trade deadline is on February 9, giving the Los Angeles Lakers little over a month to figure out what direction this team is going to go in. The results on the court and how soon Anthony Davis returns are going to factor largely into that decision.
Lakers fans want to see a trade as they have seen a basketball team that has potential but can definitely improve. More importantly than on-court improvement, Lakers fans want to see that the front office simply hasn’t punted on this season entirely.
While many fans want to see a trade that includes Patrick Beverley and Kendrick Nunn for an improvement, they might be shocked at what actually happens. It may seem impossible right now, but the Lakers trading Lonnie Walker IV should not be ruled out at the deadline.
Here are 3 reasons why the Lakers could shockingly trade Lonnie Walker IV:
1. Lonnie Walker IV may not be part of future plans
Lonnie Walker was signed to the Taxpayer’s Mid-Level Exception last summer and has played above that value. Walker has been great on an individual level (more on that distinction later) and will almost certainly get a larger contract next summer.
While the Lakers have a lot of money coming off the books, the team only has around $35 million in projected cap space to spend. If Walker’s price jumps to $10-12 million a season that might simply be too expensive for the Lakers to justify.
Suddenly, it becomes a Malik Monk situation where Monk increased his value with solid play in Los Angeles only to get priced out of LA. Monk did not have as tradeable of a contract as Walker, so moving him was harder as more had to be attached.
That is not totally the case with Walker and there are other contracts to pair with him. If there is a contender looking for an instant boost for a relatively cheap price then Walker might be the guy to target.
2. Trading draft picks might be out of the equation entirely for the Lakers
It has long seemed apparent that the Los Angeles Lakers have no real interest in trading future draft capital this season. And while that is incredibly disappointing to the fans, you cannot entirely blame the team for wanting to hold onto its assets.
Unless the Lakers were able to trade for a true third star the team is not going to find a trade that raises their ceiling by an exponential level. Thus, Los Angeles would be trading extremely valuable picks to marginally improve. Long-term, it is smarter to keep those picks both as insurance for the future as well as to maintain your trade assets for the right trade.
Sports Illustrated’s Howard Beck even said on ‘The Crossover NBA Show’ that there are rumblings that the front office was specifically told not to trade the picks. Beck made it clear it wasn’t a report and mere rumblings but that would not be surprising at all.
If the Lakers want to improve and trading picks are out of the equation then they have to turn to the assets they do have. Max Christie is young but doesn’t have much value and the team likely wants to keep Austin Reaves.
That points the arrow directly at Walker, who as previously mentioned, has a tradeable contract that the Lakers may part ways with after learning from what happened with Monk.
3. Lonnie Walker IV hasn’t had the kind of impact on the Lakers that fans think
This is something that we have covered multiple times here at Lake Show Life and if you are a frequent reader then you know where this is going. As previously mentioned, Walker is having a great individual season this year that has increased his value as a trade asset and on the free-agent market.
However, a great individual season does not always mean it is a great season for the team and that has quietly been the case with Walker. If you have casually watched the Lakers or only look at the box score it might seem like Walker has been a massive revelation for the Lakers.
The reality is actually the opposite. While Walker has been great for Walker, he has not been great for the Lakers. Los Angeles’ net rating is actually 7.2 points worse (the worst on the entire team) when Walker is on the floor versus when he is off. The team is 3-1 in games in which LeBron James played and Walker did not.
The biggest issue is the impact he has defensively. Opponents have an offensive rating that is five points higher when Walker is on the floor versus when he is not. The Lakers’ offensive rating is even worse as well. He scores, but the team’s efficiency takes a small hit.
The Lakers could capitalize on the fact that his baseline numbers are really solid knowing that they can probably replace what he brings to the team, especially if Los Angeles makes some kind of upgrade.
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Even if the team just trades Walker for future assets it could be a win for the Lakers all depending on their standing once the deadline rolls around.