Lakers Trade Pitch Lands Malcolm Brodgon and ‘Bruising’ Center

The Los Angeles Lakers vice president of basketball operations Rob Pelinka said during Bronny James and Dalton Knecht’s introductory press conference in July that they are “going to always be aggressive to trying to make roster upgrades.”

One of their potential trade options, according to Bleacher Report’s salary cap expert Eric Pincus could be the pair of Washington Wizards veterans Malcolm Brogdon and Jonas Valančiūnas.

“Both fill positions of need for the Lakers at center and point guard. Valančiūnas is on a workable contract for L.A. Brogdon’s contract is short, and he’s less likely to earn nearly as much in his next deal,” Pincus wrote on September 10.

Pincus suggested a trade framework for the Lakers that could entice the Wizards to re-route the veteran duo to Los Angeles.

Lakers receive: Malcolm Brogdon, Jonas Valančiūnas

Wizards receive: D’Angelo Russell, Jalen Hood-Schifino, Gabe Vincent (or Jarred Vanderbilt), 2029 or 2031 first-round pick

“Would the Lakers give up a first for the pair, perhaps with Russell, Hood-Schifino and Vincent (or Vanderbilt) out? L.A. might need to add a backup ball-handling guard, but it’s an arguable path forward,” Pincus wrote.

But this proposed trade could only go down in-season near the February trade deadline since both Brogdon and Valančiūnas cannot be traded until after December 15.

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High-Risk, High-Reward Trade

Trading for Brogdon and Valančiūnas, who are already in their 30s, is a risky proposition for the Lakers especially if they are to give up one of their two available future first-round picks which will eliminate them from at least getting into the conversation for a star trade down the road.

[It] better lead to a significant playoff result,” Pincus wrote should the Lakers pull the trigger on this trade for two veteran role players who are in their 30s.

But even if the Lakers hold on to their draft capital, two first-rounders are not enough to get a star based on the recent price of such blockbuster trades.

Another risk, which Pincus pointed out, if the Lakers put Russell and Vincent together in the trade to keep Vanderbilt is the hit on their point guard depth.

Brogdon has never played more than 60 games since the 2018-19 season. But when healthy, he is one of the toughest point guards defensively and can knock down 3-point shots at a high clip. He shot above 41% over the past two seasons on nearly five attempts per game.

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Jonas Valančiūnas in Lakers Wishlist

On the other hand, Valančiūnas fits the mold of the “bruising” center rookie Lakers head coach JJ Redick is looking to pair with Anthony Davis.

“You certainly have to look at what I think is actually a very good roster, a very balanced roster, Redick said in an interview with Justin Termine and Eddie Johnson on Sirius XM NBA Radio during the NBA Summer League. “We’d love to, we tried, but we’d love to, at some point, get another five man, a big bruising five man.

“You look at the Western Conference right now, whether it’s Denver, Minnesota, OKC with what they added, certainly Memphis, they’re going to be back in the hunt, they added Zach Edey, certain matchups in the playoffs, you’re going to need a lot of size.”

ESPN reported Valančiūnas was on the short list of top free agents LeBron James was willing to take a paycut for during July’s free agency.

The 7-foot, 270-lb Valančiūnas averaged 12.2 points, 8.8 rebounds, 2.1 assists and shot 55.9% overall and 30.8% on 3-pointers for the New Orleans Pelicans last season. Before that, he had five straight seasons averaging double-digit rebounds.

Both veterans fit the Lakers’ timeline with James and Davis to maximize their remaining championship window.

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