Getty Patrick Beverley with Lonnie Walker.
The Los Angeles Lakers are starting to heat up as they’ve gone 5-1 in their last six games. It’s clear that this team is good enough to beat the average and bad teams but struggles against good teams. If they could add a couple of pieces, they might be able to make some noise later in the year.
However, finding a couple of pieces is easier said than done. Most of the trade chatter has surrounded Russell Westbrook over the past year but the Lakers might want to start looking at other options. Any trade that gets rid of Westbrook likely leads to them giving up two first-round picks. Sean Deveney of Heavy Sports spoke to a Western Conference executive who pitched a new trade idea that doesn’t involve the former MVP.
“Everything depends on what they do with the two first-rounders (2027 and 2029), and they’re not going to pull a trigger until January, most likely,” the executive said. “They could move (Patrick) Beverley. Lonnie Walker has played himself into having some value and they may want to keep him or they could flip him with someone like (Kendrick) Nunn, get something back that way. Most teams would probably buy out Pat Bev if he got traded. But if you are at a point where you know it is going to cost you two picks to move (Russell) Westbrook, you could do something like Beverley and Walker and the 2029 pick for, say Gary Trent in Toronto, who is 23 but probably does not fit in (the Raptors’) plans long-term.”
Is Trent Better Than Walker?
Gary Trent Jr. is a very talented player and he’s young. However, it’s fair to question if he’s a better player than Lonnie Walker right now. Trent is averaging 16.3 points a game this season while Walker is averaging 17.1. He’s developed into a really good third-scoring option for the Lakers.
Trent is a better 3-point shooter as he makes 38.2% of his threes over his career while Walker makes just 34.6%. Both can play decent defense but neither is a lockdown defender. Is landing Trent worth giving up a first-round pick and Walker? Most likely not. The young guard has been too valuable to Los Angeles. With him playing well, the Lakers could get more for him at the trade deadline if he keeps up his current pace. This isn’t a trade that Rob Pelinka is going to want to make but there could be another option that makes sense.
There’s a Trade With Toronto That Could Make Sense
Trading Walker for Trent doesn’t make a ton of sense but there’s a possible move that could make sense. If the Lakers swap Walker for Kendrick Nunn, the money would still work in a Trent trade involving Beverley and the first-round pick. Los Angeles still may be apprehensive to give up a first-round pick for Trent but adding him would give the Lakers five players who can score at a high rate.
This isn’t a trade that’s going to make the team contenders but it’d be a step in the right direction. The Beverley trade has been a flop so it might be best to get him off the roster right now.