The Los Angeles Lakers want to surround Luka Doncic with long, athletic wings, particularly those who can shoot. That's what made the Oklahoma City Thunder's roster crunch so appealing to the Lakers: At the outset of the offseason, OKC was widely expected to move on from Aaron Wiggins and/or Isaiah Joe.
Well, that's already happened, and the Lakers didn't end up with either player. Earlier in the week, the Atlanta Hawks traded for Wiggins. And on Friday morning, ESPN's Shams Charania reported that Joe had been traded to the Detroit Pistons for two future second-round picks.
Isaiah Joe trade represents a missed opportunity for the Lakers
Joe and Wiggins were both viewed as Lakers targets for the aforementioned reasons, but Joe was an even more desirable asset, given that he's a superior shooter to Wiggins and also a tad younger.
Joe shot 42.3 percent from 3 last season and is a career 40.6 percent marksman from downtown. He would've been a dynamite sniper on the wing alongside Luka in LA, and it'll be painful for Lakers fans to watch Joe bury jumpers in Detroit. The Pistons obviously have a big, dynamic playmaker of their own in Cade Cunningham, so they were eyeing Joe for the same reasons that the Luka-centric Lakers were.
What does Rob Pelinka have up his sleeve for wing acquisitions?
Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka can make LA fans forget about Joe by going out and acquiring a similar or better sharpshooter on the wing. The offseason is far from over, after all.
Still, it's worth wondering how involved Pelinka was in the pursuit of Joe and/or Wiggins. It would've been very beneficial for the Lakers to add a young-ish player from the incredible culture that is OKC. There's a lot of stuff that the Thunder do that other teams -- the Lakers included -- would help themselves by mimicking. Adding players who were developed within OKC's culture can only enhance one's own culture, right?
At the very least, Joe and Wiggins ended up in the Eastern Conference, where their inevitable successes won't bother the Lakers as much as if they'd been acquired by a team like Minnesota or San Antonio.
However, as I wrote above, seeing Joe thrive in Detroit will still annoy Lakers fans, especially if Pelinka doesn't go out there this summer and snag a quality shooter or two to help out Luka and Co.
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