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The Los Angeles Lakers need to address their perimeter shooting, which is clear by their 26th-ranked three-point conversion rate of just 33.6% on 30.3 attempts per game.
According to a Western Conference Executive, who spoke with Heavy On Sports’ Sean Deveney under the condition of anonymity, the Lakers could acquire Duncan Robinson via trade if they were willing to part ways with a package centered around Patrick Beverley – but they would have to eat the remaining four years of Robinson’s $90 million contract.
“There isn’t a team that is rushing to make a move for Beverley at this point, he is a 3-and-D guy who is shooting 26% from the 3-point line. He is a free agent, though, so he is a little like a get-out-of-jail card for bad contracts. If the Lakers want to move him on, they are going to have to take back a bad contract that extends into the future, and that will eat into their potential cap space next summer—not sure they want to do that.
Duncan Robinson from the Heat (could make sense)…Miami could use a little of Beverley’s toughness. They’ve (the Lakers) been willing to give up on this year to preserve some chance at a future, though, and I’d expect them to continue with that approach, which means not dealing Beverley for a long-term contract,” The executive said.
Robinson has failed to justify his lofty price tag since signing his current contract and is shooting just 32.2% from deep this season, despite attempting five shots per game.
Anthony Davis’ Injury Could Mean a Small Trade
Throughout the opening months of the current season, the Lakers have been linked with numerous ‘blockbuster’ trades as both fans and media try to make sense of how the team’s current roster could become a championship contender.
However, following the foot injury Anthony Davis sustained on December 16 against the Denver Nuggets, the Lakers may decide to target a smaller deal, to try and improve their bench depth rather than move to acquire a star.
“The most likely trade outcome, at this point, is some form of Patrick Beverley, Kendrick Nunn and either the 2027 or 2029 first-round pick (likely protected) for a 3-and-D wing or combo forward that fits well next Davis and James, those sources said. As The Athletic’s Sam Amick reported last week, Russell Westbrook is likely to stay with the Lakers past the trade deadline, unless the team can find a deal ahead of the Feb. 9 trade deadline that requires them to trade only one of their future first-round picks,” Jovan Buha of The Atheltic reported on December 21.
Davis’ injury will undoubtedly be a hammer blow to the Lakers’ chances of making the playoffs this season, so it will be interesting to see if Rob Pelinka and the front office decide to enter the trade market or stand pat and focus on the 2023 off-season.
Lakers Put on Blast Over Treatment of LeBron James
When LeBron James joined the Lakers, he expected to be in the hunt for a championship throughout his tenure with the team. However, since lifting the Larry O’Brien trophy in 2020, the Lakers have been bounced in the first round by the Phoenix Suns (2021), and failed to make the post-season entirely in 2022.
According to a Western Conference Executive who spoke with Heavy on Sports Sean Deveney, under the condition of anonymity, the Lakers are wasting LeBron’s final few years in the NBA, and part of the reason is how much they gave up to acquire Anthony Davis.
“If everything had gone as planned, Anthony Davis would be an MVP and LeBron would be averaging 20 points. The idea of trading for Davis when they did was that in a few years, there would be less pressure on LeBron, but here he is averaging 27 points and near the top of the league (12th) in minutes played. This is his 20th season, there is no way they should be asking that of him. They won a championship, so you can’t discount that, but they’ve really sort of wasted these last few years of LeBron’s career. That’s because of Davis, how much it cost them for him to get to L.A. and how much it has hurt them that he can’t stay healthy,” The executive said
Despite the Lakers not having the necessary talent to support him, LeBron is still putting up incredible numbers for a player of his age, averaging 27.4 points, 8.2 rebounds, 6.7 assists, and 1.2 steals per game while shooting 57.8% from deep. Now, it will be interesting to see if LeBron is happy to remain with the purple and gold moving forward or if he looks to request a trade at the end of the current season.
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