Getty Lakers point guard Russell Westbrook
In an October 30 piece called “Operation Rescue Kevin Durant: 3-Way Trade Between Mavs, Lakers & Nets,” Editor-In-Chief for Dallas Basketball.com Dalton Trigg proposed a three-team trade between the Dallas Mavericks, Los Angeles Lakers and Brooklyn Nets.
Trigg had the Mavericks acquiring Kevin Durant, the Lakers landing Tim Hardaway Jr., Davis Bertans and Dwight Powell and the Nets getting Russell Westbrook, Josh Green, the Lakers’ 2027 first-round pick, the Mavericks’ 2027 and 2029 first-round picks and pick swaps in 2024, 2026 and 2028.
Since the Lakers need more shooters around All-Stars LeBron James and Anthony Davis, this proposed trade wouldn’t be such a bad deal. Hardaway Jr. and Bertans can both shoot the ball well from deep. THJ is a career 35.8% shooter from beyond the arc, while the Latvian Laser is at 39.8%.
Hardaway Jr. made a career-high 207 shots from 3-point land during the 2020-21 season. He’s shooting 35.5% on 3s this season while averaging 14.4 points, 1.8 rebounds and 1.6 assists. Meanwhile, Bertans hit a career-high 200 shots from beyond the arc in 2019-20. He has yet to play this season because of a right knee injury. When he’s healthy, though, Bertans is one of the best stretch-forward shooters in the NBA.
Lakers Would Be More Dynamic With Hardaway Jr. & Bertans
The Lakers, who captured their first win of the season on October 30 against the Denver Nuggets, would be more dynamic on offense with Hardaway Jr. and Bertans. Pairing two shooters next to James and Davis would create better floor balance and spacing for Los Angeles.
Defenders can’t help off Hardaway Jr. and Bertans since both guys are proven shooters from beyond the arc. Westbrook is shooting only 20.0% from 3-point land this season, making him a poor fit alongside James and Davis. Teams pack the paint against the Lakers and dare Westbrook and Patrick Beverley to shoot, making it difficult for James and Davis to attack the rim. If the purple and gold had Hardaway Jr. and Bertans, James and Davis would have more room on the court to operate with.
The Lakers are shooting just 26.6% on 3s this season, the worst percentage in the NBA. They are last in the league in offensive rating and second to last in points per game. Los Angeles general manager Rob Pelinka needs to trade Westbrook sooner rather than later and acquire more shooters. Otherwise, the Lakers will likely miss the playoffs again.
NBA Exec: I Feel Bad for Darvin Ham
Heavy.com senior insider Sean Deveney spoke to an anonymous Western Conference executive who feels bad for Lakers head coach Darvin Ham. The exec suggested to Deveney that Ham has been set up to fail.
“I feel bad for Darvin because this is not the job you want for the first time on the sideline,” the exec told Deveney. “This is not the rookie job you want to start with. You see him getting them to run out in transition, they get into transition just about as much as any team in the league and they are by far the worst team at finishing in transition. But Darvin’s only other option is to slow it down and give it to LeBron in the halfcourt, but they can’t shoot. They have no shooters on the floor so the halfcourt offense is terrible, too. Darvin is set up to fail with this team.”
Even though Westbrook played well against the Nuggets (18 points, eight rebounds, eight assists), he’s still a putrid shooter. The 2016-17 MVP is shooting 34.3% from the field and has an effective field goal percentage of 37.3%.
The Lakers need to move on from the UCLA product. Acquiring Hardaway Jr. and Bertans from the Mavericks would get them two consistent 3-point shooters, something the team desperately needs around James and Davis.