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4 Mavericks players the Lakers have to demand in any LeBron trade

By Josh Cornelissen

DALLAS, TX - FEBRUARY 26 : Josh Green #8 of the Dallas Mavericks passes the ball around Mo Bamba #12 of the Los Angeles Lakers in the first half of the game at American Airlines Center on February 26, 2023 in Dallas, Texas. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Ron Jenkins/Getty Images)
DALLAS, TX - FEBRUARY 26 : Josh Green #8 of the Dallas Mavericks passes the ball around Mo Bamba #12 of the Los Angeles Lakers in the first half of the game at American Airlines Center on February 26, 2023 in Dallas, Texas. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Ron Jenkins/Getty Images) /
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Los Angeles Lakers
Jaden Hardy, Dallas Mavericks. Photo by Sam Hodde/Getty Images /

The Lakers have to demand Jaden Hardy

Whether or not the Lakers decide to bring back D’Angelo Russell in this scenario, they need to be investing in young ball-handlers. The ability to take the ball up the court and create a shot for yourself and others is perhaps the most valuable and rare ability in the league. Thankfully for the Lakers, the Mavericks look like they might have such a player.

Jaden Hardy was a top recruit coming out of high school, but a poor year with the G League Ignite saw his draft stock plummet, and he fell all the way to the 37th pick in the 2022 NBA Draft. Despite being just 20 years old all of last season, Hardy played his way into the rotation and flashed some tremendous ball skills that spoke to the value he had in high school.

In a February game against the Utah Jazz, Hardy dropped 29 points on 8-of-12 shooting; in March he put up 27 with six 3-pointers against the Golden State Warriors. For the season he averaged just 8.8 points per game, but in games where he received at least 20 minutes, he averaged 19 points per game. He shot 40.4 percent from 3-point range on a variety of shot types.

The Lakers might be getting a bench scorer, the kind of microwave shooter who can come into a game and finish plays. He certainly has more upside than that, however, and if he continues to develop as a passer (especially when he isn’t sharing a team with Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving) he could be a long-term starting guard. The potential is there, making him the top player the Lakers have to demand in any trade.

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