Getty Lakers guard Patrick Beverley
In a December 1 article called “Los Angeles Lakers Trade Ideas Based on Latest Rumors,” Bleacher Report’s Dan Favale proposed that the Los Angeles Lakers trade Patrick Beverley and Kendrick Nunn to the San Antonio Spurs.
Favale’s hypothetical trade had the Lakers sending Beverley, Nunn and two draft picks to the Spurs for Jakob Poeltl and Josh Richardson.
“Poeltl’s overall value is further complicated by limitations and free agency, as well. He is a crafty decision-maker near the elbows, great screen-setter and savvy rim protector who’s overstretched within the context of San Antonio’s roster,” Favale wrote. “He’s also a crunch-time liability because of his free-throw shooting, and his entry into free agency this summer renders him a flight risk. The quad injury he’s dealing with right now doesn’t help, either.
“Richardson, meanwhile, is mission-critical wing depth. He can be matched up defensively with everyone from guards to power wings and subsists at the other end on a large amount of catch-and-fire threes, which he’s burying at a 40 percent clip.”
Favale’s column comes in the wake of Jovan Buha of The Athletic reporting on December 1 that the Lakers are “weighing three different paths” to improve their roster. The three paths are:
- Path 1 is to trade Russell Westbrook, plus a pick or two, for a star or multiplayer haul.
- Path 2 is to trade some combination of Patrick Beverley, Kendrick Nunn and picks (one first-round and/or multiple second-round picks) for role players who better address needs and upgrade the rotation.
- Path 3 would be two separate deals: one with Westbrook plus one first-round pick, another using a Beverley-Nunn-pick package.
Beverley & Nunn Have Struggled; Richardson & Poeltl Are Solid
Favale believes the Lakers would get “better” if they trade Beverley and Nunn to the Spurs for Richardson and Poeltl. Los Angeles is 8-12 on the season, good for only 13th place in the Western Conference standings.
“Traveling this path overall feels half-baked for the Lakers,” Favale wrote. “It allows them to straddle two lines in theory, but it’s a vote of half-confidence in practice. If that’s what they want, then so be it. This trade makes them better, doesn’t entirely bankrupt their first-round-pick stores and preserves their capacity to dredge up $30-plus million in cap space over the summer.”
Beverley and Nunn have not played well for the Lakers this season. The former is averaging 4.2 points, 3.9 rebounds and 2.7 assists while shooting just 26.8% from the field, 23.4% from beyond the arc and 82.4% from the free-throw line, while the latter is putting up 5.8 points, 1.4 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game while shooting 36.4% overall, 29.1% from 3-point land and 88.9% from the charity stripe.
For the Spurs, Richardson is averaging 10.2 points while shooting 36.3% from deep. The Lakers need more shooters around stars LeBron James and Anthony Davis, so Richardson projects to be a good fit in Los Angeles. Poeltl, meanwhile, is averaging 12.9 points and 9.9 rebounds.
Report: Lakers Leaders Want a Trade to Happen
Dave McMenamin of ESPN reported on November 28 there is a belief shared by leaders in the Lakers’ locker room that the team is only a couple of players away from turning the group into a legitimate contender.
“There is belief shared by leaders in the Lakers’ locker room, sources said, that the team is only a couple of players away from turning this group into a legitimate contender,” McMenamin reported. “But acquiring the right players could take multiple trades.”
December 15 is the first day that free agents who were signed in the offseason can be traded. It’s also the day the Lakers are targeting to begin exploring roster upgrades via trades, according to Buha.