Getty Lonzo Ball of the Los Angeles Lakers, who analysts say might be traded.
The Los Angeles Lakers organizational troubles were brought to light this morning courtesy of a bomb of an article by ESPN’s Baxter Holmes. Going into incredible detail about specific issues that caused trust across the organization to unravel, the Lakers came away looking like an organization in chaos and far from an ideal landing spot for top free agents.
Lakers Dysfunction Pushes Them Towards Lonzo Ball Trade Says Analyst
Both Chris Broussard and Colin Cowherd agreed that the report could possibly push the Lakers into a trade situation. Citing the main reason as scaring off free agents, they brought up the possibility that the Lakers might want to look into moving both Lonzo Ball and the fourth pick – particularly for Washington guard Bradley Beal.
The Herd – “There is something about this article I would like if I was the Lakers. It gives us a clear path, I’m not crossing my fingers for free agents. Do you know what it tells me? I’ve got Lonzo and a number four pick, I’ve got two young forward averaging 18. I’m gonna change the narrative, I’m gonna bring somebody in. I’m not gonna sit there and wait for somebody to read that article and have to choose me over the Celtics.”
While Lonzo is an incredible talent that the Lakers front office most likely wants to keep on board, Cowherd brings up a good point. The Lakers, as they are currently constructed, need guards who can consistently drain the deep ball. Lonzo likely won’t ever turn into an elite shooter and trading him for a guard who can help space the floor makes sense on paper with the Lakers. While it would likely be mortgaging the future for a championship in the next 2-3 years, the Lakers made the decision to commit to that (knowingly or unknowingly) when they decided to bring on LeBron James last summer.
Who Else Could Lakers Target In Trade Market?
Outside of the two major names in Anthony Davis and Beal, there are still a number of players the Lakers could potentially swing a trade for. One option the Lakers might want to look into would be making a move for either member of Portland’s electric backcourt. While the Trail Blazers most likely want to keep their roster intact after making another run to the conference finals, they once again found themselves on the receiving end of a sweep to knock them out of the playoffs.
As fun as Lillard and McCollum might be to watch, the Blazers have proven that they are unable to build a team capable of hanging with the Western Conference’s elite in a seven-game series. In order to get better, they need to free up money from somewhere as well over half of their cap space is tied up in Lillard and McCollum alone. The Raptors proved last season that you can deal a franchise cornerstone and get up over the hump immediately, so it might be interesting to see if the Blazers follow suit.