Getty D'Angelo Russell complaining
The Los Angeles Lakers front office faces even more pressure to upgrade their roster after 39-year-old LeBron James showed he still has enough in the tank to lead a team in the Olympics. Los Angeles hasn’t added any players in free agency or a trade after losing in the first round of the NBA playoffs to the Denver Nuggets.
Zach Buckley of Bleacher Report called the Lakers’ quiet offseason “borderline indefensible,” highlighting the need for improvements next to James.
“Perhaps LeBron James’ MVP performance at the Olympics will be a wake-up call for the Lakers,” Buckley wrote on August 16. “Their sleepy summer feels borderline indefensible with the 39-year-old still hooping at such a high level and still being in such obvious need of an upgraded supporting cast.”
To help improve the roster, Buckley proposed a trade that’d send D’Angelo Russell, a first-round pick, and more to the Portland Trail Blazers for Jerami Grant.
Lakers would get: Grant
Trail Blazers would get: Russell, Jarred Vanderbilt, Maxwell Lewis, 2029 first-round pick
“Grant probably isn’t a 20-point scorer on a good team, but he could be an efficient third or fourth option who increases the club’s versatility on defense,” Buckley wrote. “In the past, there may have been spacing concerns with slotting him alongside James and Anthony Davis, but he alleviated many of them with a 40-plus percent splash rate on decent volume over the past two seasons.
“The 30-year-old isn’t quite a third star, but he could star in sort of a souped-up three-and-D role. And who knows, maybe if the Lakers can coax a leap year out of Austin Reaves, they’ll already have a third star in-house.”
Lakers Trade Assets Named One of ‘Best’ in NBA
With James and Anthony Davis only getting older, the Los Angeles Lakers must be smart with who they trade their picks for. Their only two tradeable first-round picks are in 2029 and 2031, likely when James is long gone.
Lacking a young star on the roster and talent in general, Dan Favale of Bleacher Report named their first-round picks the fourth-best trade asset in the league.
“Timelines change fast in the NBA. That five- to seven-year window could represent three or more different iterations of the Lakers,” Favale wrote on July 30. “And the more they turn things over, the more likely one of those selections becomes a high lottery pick.”
Grant, who turns 31 in the season, isn’t someone the Lakers can bank on to be a high-level player in a few years due to his age, which complicates matters.
Does Trading Russell and More for Grant Help the Lakers?
The Los Angeles Lakers trading a first-round pick, Russell, and more would see them move many of their top assets. Grant, entering the second year of his five-year, $160.0 million contract, would be a nice addition to the team.
He averaged 21.0 points, 3.5 rebounds, 2.8 assists and shot 40.2% from 3-point range on 5.1 attempts per game. His six-foot-seven frame would also give the Lakers a player they could put on wings.
However, moving Russell, who averaged 18.0 points, 6.3 assists, and shot 41.5% from 3-point range on 7.2 attempts in 2023-24 plus a first-round pick and Vanderbilt would be a massive price.
Vanderbilt, who dealt with injuries and played in just 29 games last year, is an elite defender and would be missed on that end.
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