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The Los Angeles Lakers may be headed to the NBA Finals but that doesn’t mean they can’t get even better for next season. One of their weaknesses is that they don’t have a solid player to backup LeBron James. Rajon Rondo has been good in the playoffs but struggled during the regular season and he’s getting up there in age.
The Lakers should look for a more consistent option who can also create more offense. Andy Bailey of Bleacher Report believes that former NBA MVP Derrick Rose could be the target:
That kind of performance, along with his $7.7 million salary, should have been more than enough for Rose to play himself into coveted status on the trade market. Every contender should have the assets necessary to match that money and acquire one of the league’s most explosive backup point guards.
That’s true of the Los Angeles Lakers, whose net rating fell off a cliff when LeBron James left the floor this season.
That dropoff had more to do with defense than offense, but having a reliable playmaker on the floor when LeBron sits would bring more balance to a bench that needs it.
Rose Has Reinvented Himself
For a while, it looked like injuries would get the best of Rose as he missed a lot of time after winning an MVP. He went from being one of the NBA’s elite to somebody who couldn’t get on the court. Unlike a lot of other fallen stars, Rose has reinvented himself and has become one of the best sixth-men in the NBA.
He was able to average 18 points a game coming off the bench for a bad Detroit Pistons team. He could be even more effective for an elite Lakers team. Rose briefly played with LeBron in Cleveland but that didn’t work out. Perhaps giving it a second chance in Los Angeles could make a strong pairing.
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What Would a Trade for Rose Look Like?
As well as Rose has been playing, his injury history can’t be ignored by any potentially interested team. That could drop his value in a trade. The Pistons aren’t contending for a title anytime soon so it would be wise for them to try and flip the 31-year-old for some younger pieces.
The Lakers don’t have a ton of great assets to offer. Kyle Kuzma would be the most obvious centerpiece of the trade. The young Laker is from Michigan and is better suited in a starting role. Los Angeles could see if adding Danny Green and Talen Horton-Tucker would make the deal worth it for Detroit.
Kuzma does well when he starts but as long as the Lakers have Anthony Davis, he’s going to be coming off the bench. Rose has shown that he can thrive off the bench and he’d probably like to compete for a championship as he gets further into his career. Kuzma could start with the Pistons and start looking like a future star again.
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