Lakers Linked to Shrewd Trade for $55 Million ‘Tough SOB’

Getty Lakers potential trade target Deni Avdija (right)

Of all the paths the Lakers might go down in the coming weeks, first with their coaching situation and then with the construction of the roster, it appears they’re leaning toward going bold wherever possible. Giving $100 million to a collegiate coach, albeit the best one in the game right now, certainly qualifies as bold.

But the Lakers could take a more long-term view when it comes to the roster, especially with a developmental guy like Dan Hurley possibly coming aboard. In that light, it would make sense for the Lakers to attempt to grab young-ish players on the upswing, guys who are clearly getting better but have not yet hit their ceilings.

One such player was raised by L.A. Times beat reporter Dan Woike last week, even before the Hurley news exploded, is Wizards combo forward Deni Avdija, who certainly checks a lot of boxes in terms of what the Lakers will be looking for: He is only 25, he has a team-friendly contract, he made huge strides last year and showed that not only can he be an excellent defender, but a promising shooter, too.

“Avdija is a player a lot of scouts and executives like because of his smarts and toughness. But, if other people like him, that certainly means the Wizards like him too. That means he’ll be pricey,” Woike wrote.

Deni Avdija Is a ‘Tough SOB’ on Defensive End

Indeed, Avdija, the No. 9 pick in the 2020 NBA draft, had a breakout season last year. And it came in the nick of time, after three uninspiring years in which he averaged 8.1 points and 5.5 rebounds, shooting 31.0% on 3-pointers. Avdija established himself as a willing and tough-minded defender, but without much offense to offer, he appeared to be on his way toward landing in the NBA bust bin.

That was before he showed some life as a shooter and scorer last year, making 50.6% of his shots and 37.4% of his 3-pointers on his way to averaging 14.7 points and 7.2 rebounds. He was sixth in the NBA’s Most Improved voting and would have been higher if he had not been playing for the lowly Wizards.

He’d be a smart trade target for any team, especially would-be contenders.

“The book on him was that he can score but he was gonna be soft,” one NBA executive told Heavy Sports. “But he came in and it was the opposite—he couldn’t score but he played like a tough SOB on the defensive end. He makes sense in a Lakers trade, a guy they would want but a lot of other teams are gonna want him, too, because he is on a good contract and he is probably gonna get better.”

Lakers Likely Would Have to Give up a 1st-Round Draft Pick

The contract is a good one: Before his breakout year, Avdija agreed to an extension worth $55 million over four years—one that starts at $15.6 million but descends from there, down to $11.8 million in Year 4. Avdija will be making well below the midlevel exception for half his deal.

All of that makes a deal tough to pull off. The Lakers would have three proposed means of making a credible offer to the Wizards:

• Offer Austin Reaves, a player in whom the Wizards might have some interest as a young combo guard, though he might not make sense with Jordan Poole already in place in Washington.
• Offer Jalen Hood-Schifino. This would require the Wizards to value Schifino as a point guard of the future, which is a possibility given his age (20) and draft position last year (17^th). Package JHS with one of the Lakers’ injured signees from last year (Jarred Vanderbilt or Gabe Vincent) and maybe the Wizards would bite. This is decidedly a longshot.
• Make the plunge with a draft pick. It probably will take a first-rounder to get Avdija from the Wizards. The Lakers could use their future picks to put together a star-player package, but if they go the role-player route, using the picks to get multiple investment-worthy players like Avdija makes some sense.