5 players the Lakers might replace D’Angelo Russell with by the trade deadline
By Jason Reed
The Lakers could replace D’Angelo Russell with Joe Harris
This would not be a true one-for-one replacement as Joe Harris is not a point guard but as already mentioned, the Lakers may not need to bring in a true point guard. After all, Vincent’s minutes will tick up in the playoffs and LeBron James already is a pseudo-point guard as is.
Instead of looking for someone who can replace D’Lo as a point guard, the Lakers may instead look for someone who could replace his shooting without having the extra baggage that comes with his game. If that is the desire, then Joe Harris could be a good option.
Harris certainly has his flaws and there are real concerns about his defense and how that would translate to a playoff series. But the fact of the matter is that he is one of the best off-ball shooters in the sport and his defense might be easier to hide than D’Lo.
Plus, Harris is going to be more accepting of a 15 minutes per game role of the bench where he is asked to just come in and knock down some shots. Russell is not someone who is seemingly okay with that kind of role as the Lakers were worried about benching him in the NBA Playoffs last year in fear of “losing him”.
Harris isn’t a super valuable trade piece and as an expiring contract, his price should not be high at all. In theory, the Lakers could be able to get Harris by sending Russell and two second-round picks to the Pistons.