Getty Lakers guard Russell Westbrook
LeBron James agreed to a two-year, $97.1 million extension with the Los Angeles Lakers that includes a player option for the 2024-25 season on August 17th. Despite committing to the Lakers for at least the 2023-24 season, James remains “privately adamant” that the roster needs to be improved, according to an August 17th report from Jovan Buha of The Athletic.
The Lakers, who missed the playoffs last season, have been trying to trade Russell Westbrook all offseason and Bleacher Report’s Greg Swartz has a trade idea involving the Brooklyn Nets and San Antonio Spurs. In an August 18th column called “Fresh NBA Trade Ideas to Create Newest Big 3s,” Swartz proposed that the Lakers trade Westbrook, Max Christie and four future draft picks to the Spurs for Doug McDermott and Kendrick Nunn to the Nets for Ben Simmons.
Brooklyn would also get Jakob Poeltl and Josh Richardson from San Antonio in the three-team trade.
“If there was ever a time to buy stock in Simmons, one of the NBA’s best, most versatile defenders and playmakers, this is it,” Swartz wrote. “Pairing him with a mentor of his in LeBron James, someone who will forever get the majority of the praise and criticism and help get the attention off Simmons, is an ideal situation for the 26-year-old as he makes his return to the court.”
Simmons, James and Anthony Davis are represented by Rich Paul of Klutch Sports. Simmons, the 2017-18 Rookie of the Year, missed the entire 2021-22 season due to a holdout and back injury. The Nets acquired the lefty from the Philadelphia 76ers in February in the blockbuster James Harden trade.
Swartz: Lakers Would Have New Big 3 & Solid Supporting Cast
The Lakers would have a new Big 3 of James, Davis and Simmons if they completed Swartz’s proposed trade. Their supporting cast would consist of McDermott, Lonnie Walker IV, Talen Horton-Tucker, Thomas Bryant, Austin Reaves, Damian Jones, Juan Toscano-Anderson, Troy Brown Jr., Wenyen Gabriel and Stanley Johnson.
“Simmons can handle the ball and run the offense while reducing the workload for James, and he should also be fine with Anthony Davis and the four-time MVP taking the majority of the shots. For a Lakers team that slipped to 21st in defense last season, swapping out Westbrook for Simmons is a massive upgrade that allows Los Angeles to use all sorts of lineups,” Swartz wrote. “Shooting is an issue with Simmons, so the Lakers also pick up McDermott, one of the best floor-spacers in the NBA (42.2 percent from three last season).”
Simmons has career averages of 15.9 points, 8.1 rebounds and 7.7 assists. He’s a three-time All-Star and two-time All-NBA defender. The LSU product’s biggest weakness is his jump shot. Simmons has only made five 3-pointers since entering the NBA and the point-forward is a career 59.7% shooter from the free-throw line.
McDermott, meanwhile, is one of the top shooters in the NBA. He’s a career 40.9% shooter from beyond the arc, which is good for ninth among active players. The 30-year-old has career averages of 9.2 points and 2.3 rebounds in 527 regular-season games with the Chicago Bulls, Oklahoma City Thunder, New York Knicks, Dallas Mavericks, Indiana Pacers and Spurs.
Simmons & McDermott Could Help Lakers Compete for Title
The Lakers gave up 115.1 points per game last season, 28th of 30 in the NBA. Simmons could help the purple and gold become stouter on the defensive end since he’s an elite defender. The 26-year-old won the 2019-20 steals title and has a defensive rating of 105.3 in his career.
Last season, the Lakers ranked 22nd in the NBA in 3-point shooting, hitting 34.7% of their team attempts. McDermott shot 42.2% from beyond the arc in 2021-22 and made 108 3-pointers. He could make the Lakers more dynamic on offense with his ability to space the floor and hit perimeter shots.
James, who turns 38 in December, averaged 30.3 points, 8.2 rebounds and 6.2 assists last season. However, the Lakers went only 33-49. A Big 3 of Simmons, James and Davis could help Los Angeles get back to the promised land.