Getty Patrick Beverley, Los Angeles Lakers
The Los Angeles Lakers currently find themselves sitting 12th in the Western Conference after a difficult start to the 2023-24 NBA season.
One way in which Rob Pelinka could help turn the Lakers’ fortunes around is by sanctioning a trade for an additional star player to help take some of the burdens off of LeBron James and Anthony Davis’ shoulders.
According to Bleacher Report’s Dan Favale, Fred VanVleet could be the ideal addition for the Lakers, and he may be attainable after being rumored to have rejected a $114 million contract extension – something which VanVleet denies.
Fred VanVleet is having a very rough season. His value is at a low.
The Lakers should gauge his market if the Raptors decide to tank (12th in the East currently).
I’d inquire about him and Gary Trent, Jr.
“The Lakers may not want to mortgage so much of their future with Anthony Davis injured, but Peak Fred VanVleet keeps Los Angeles’ playoff hopes alive without him. And a full-strength Lakers team becomes exponentially more lethal with FVV alongside AD and LeBron James…The Lakers can send out the expiring of Kendrick Nunn and Patrick Beverley to make the math work. They can also expand the deal to include swaps in 2026 and 2028 and see whether that gets the Raptors to send out Gary Trent Jr. while taking on the final few months of Russell Westbrook’s deal,” Favale wrote.
VanVleet is currently experiencing a slight dip in his offensive output, but there is no denying that he is precisely what the Lakers need right now – a hardnosed defender who can create for himself and others while also being a legitimate threat from the perimeter. In 32 games this season, VanVleet is averaging 18.6 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 6.2 assists while shooting 37.7% from the field and 32.9% from deep.
Rob Pelinka Previously Promised To Build Around LeBron
Before the season began, Rob Pelinka addressed the media on September 26 and reiterated his commitment to building a contending team around LeBron, noting that the aging superstar deserved to be playing on a championship-contending roster.
Rob Pelinka addressee the rumors of Lakers trades and trading draft picks this offseason. He said he will make a trade, including draft picks, to improve the team if it’s the right deal.
“Let me abundantly clear: We have one of the great players in LeBron James to ever play the game, on our team. He committed to us with a long-term contract, a three-year contract. So of course we will do everything we can, picks included, to make deals that give us a chance to help LeBron get to the end. He committed to our organization, that’s gotta be a bilateral commitment. But let me be also clear, that you have to understand the CBA and the Stepien rule…You have one shot to make a trade with multiple picks. So if you make that trade, it has to be the right one, you have one shot to do it, so we’re being very thoughtful around the decisions on when and how to use draft capital in a way that will improve our roster,” Pelinka said.
If Pelinka truly meant those words, then kicking the tires on a potential deal to acquire VanVleet should be high on his priority list as we get closer to the February 9 trade deadline.
Lakers Could Wait Until Free Agency To Make Moves
According to a Western Conference Executive who spoke with Heavy On Sports NBA Insider Sean Deveney, there is a significant chance the Lakers chose to stand pat at the trade deadline, as their focus may have shifted towards 2023 free agency.
“That is the big hope there…They want to hold onto those picks, they want to get everybody healthy, they want to let all their bad contracts expire, they want to get someone in free agency that they can get LeBron excited about—unless they can make a miracle happen at the trade deadline and bring in a big name that way. If that does not happen, they will be in position in the summer to get Kyrie Irving or Draymond Green, or maybe both if they make the numbers work,” The executive told Deveney.
In the wake of the Dennis Schroder/Lakers news, a deep dive with @jovanbuha on what this means for Russell Westbrook, at @TheAthletic
Sources say the prospect of Westbrook coming off the bench is being seriously considered as camp nears
Details here…
This isn’t the first time we’ve heard of the Lakers potentially biding their time, as back in September 2022, The Athletic’s Jovan Buha and Sam Amick wrote about the possibility of Los Angeles holding out until the summer of 2023.
“With the salary cap projected to be $134 million, Los Angeles could create upwards of $30 million to $35 million or so in cap space. If their widely known interest in Brooklyn’s Kyrie Irving isn’t satisfied via trade by then, Irving could reunite with James the easy way when he’s an unrestricted free agent. Other notable free agents could include Khris Middleton (player option), Fred VanVleet (player option), Andrew Wiggins, Tyler Herro (restricted), and Jordan Poole (restricted),” Amick and Buha wrote on September 16.
However, VanVleet is a legitimate upgrade to the Lakers starting rotation, and if you can get him by trading away Patrick Beverley and some expiring contracts, the it makes no sense to continue waiting until the summer, especially if you want to keep your superstar happy.