The Grade
For the Los Angeles Lakers, adding Cole Anthony and Jerami Grant looks great on paper. Grant is the scoring forward that Los Angeles seems to be coveting, with the hope appearing to be that he can rediscover the defensive form that made him a standout with the Denver Nuggets in 2019-20.
Anthony, meanwhile, is an adequate solution to the potential issue of losing Russell as an aggressive scorer who could potentially provide 20-plus minutes per game.
The hurdles, however, begin with the price the Orlando Magic would be paying for D'Angelo Russell. Russell fits well with the Magic on paper, but they'd essentially be giving up two first-round draft picks to acquire him in Jett Howard, who was a 2023 lottery pick, and the proposed 2025 first via Denver.
Specific to the Lakers, this move would leave the franchise with Anthony as the only point guard on the roster due to the loss of both Russell and Gabe Vincent, as well as Jaden Hood-Schifino.
Beyond the trade proposal itself, Grant is has been plagued by injuries. He's missed at least 18 games in each of the past four seasons and, now 30 years of age, would be joining a roster with a 39-year-old LeBron James and a 31-year-old Anthony Davis—both of whom have had trouble staying healthy in recent seasons.
Bailey made this as friendly as possible, but this grade is a reflection of the fact that there may not be an ideal way to acquire Grant given the asking price and the well-founded injury concerns.
It's a strong enough effort to warrant a solid C, but the loss of virtually every ounce of depth at point guard and the risk of adding another high-paid, injury-plagued player to the roster is too much to overlook.