Getty Images Anthony Davis and LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers.
The Los Angeles Lakers did a ton during the NBA offseason to get remarkably better.
LA traded for Dennis Schroeder, re-signed Anthony Davis, LeBron James and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and added Marc Gasol, Wesley Matthews and Montrezl Harrell to their roster. “They won,” retired NBA champion and current ESPN analyst, Kendrick Perkins told me on the Heavy Live With Scoop B Show.
“They won Scoop B. They won big time! The way that Rob Pelinka was aggressive in free agency, I was expecting Lawrence Frank to be that aggressive for the Clippers. I mean, just think about it. Rob Pelinka got off a Danny Green contract and went and signed Wesley Matthews for 3.6 Million dollars. He was able to land Montrezl Harrell from his crosstown rival, Sixth Man of the Year; a guy that’s almost giving you 20 a night and then you already had Dennis Schroeder who you traded for and got him back still on his prime, was the runner up for Sixth Man of the Year and who’s capable of giving you 20 a night also. So you sign Anthony Davis to a 5-year, you lock in LeBron James for 2 years after next year and it’s like; Rob Pelinka is making all the right moves of a team that’s looking to win its first title and I’m looking at this Lakers offseason and the additions that they added and I’m like, if somebody don’t make a move right now, they are the clear cut favorites.”
In order to get Schroeder, the Lakers traded Danny Green to the Oklahoma City Thunder. Green ultimately found his way to the Philadelphia 76ers in a separate trade. Green is joined by Dwight Howard. “I’m a fan of both of those guys,” Kendrick Perkins told Heavy Live With Scoop B.
“I think Dwight Howard has learned and his time from being away from the game, he’s got a different appreciation, his leadership skills are better; so he’s going to help Joel Embiid out tremendously. And what people don’t realize is that Dwight and Joel can play together because Joel loves to pick and pop. Dwight can be that dynamic rolling to the rim; like, I can see them playing spot minutes together and actually doing pretty well. He can mentor Joel Embiid and then you can take Danny Green who’s just a class act, right? You can’t replace that championship pedigree. He’s a guy that can stretch the floor and shoot the three is what the Philadelphia 76ers been lacking. But his leadership skills… you can’t replace that. That’s a championship pedigree man. And he’s a guy that’s going to be on the same page as Doc Rivers because of the championship mindset and how he’s going to embrace his role, I love him also for the Philadelphia 76ers.”
Danny Green‘s shooting will ultimately benefit the 76ers says Perkins. “He’s gonna shoot more,” he said.
“He’s going to be in that starting role. I can see them going with a lineup like Seth Curry, Ben Simmons, Joel Embiid, Danny Green and Tobias Harris. And what’s gonna happen is that he’s gonna get open looks because of the paint being so congested because of Ben Simmons and his lack of shooting. Once Danny Green starts knocking that down and making guys respect him again, it’s going to open up for Ben Simmons. So I can see him taking a lot more threes than what he did for the Lakers.”