Getty Payton Pritchard, Los Angeles Lakers
The Los Angeles Lakers currently rank 25th in the NBA for three-point percentage, despite having numerous interior players that are unable to stretch the floor.
However, according to Sports Illustrated’s Alex Kirschenbaum, the Lakers could look to improve their perimeter shooting by trading for Payton Pritchard of the Boston Celtics.
“He would instantly become the best-shooting point guard on the team’s roster, and could still have some untapped upside, whereas everyone else on that club is on the downslope of his career. Any time the Lakers can add a floor-spacer alongside LeBron James, it’s worth doing, and the best thing about it is that Pritchard could probably be had for cheap, perhaps just a future second-round pick and some salary-matching veteran’s minimum contract,” Kirschenbaum wrote.
Payton Pritchard hits a game-winning bucket to beat the Heat.
LeBron James Growing Frustrated With Lakers
If the Lakers want to appease LeBron James, they will need to make some moves before the February 9 trade deadline. However, up to this point, the Lakers’ front office has seemed reluctant to part with any future draft assets to get a deal over the line.
When speaking to the media on December 29, following the Lakers’ loss to the Miami Heat, LeBron gave the biggest insight into his frustrations yet, noting how he wants to spend the final few years of his career contending for championships.
“I’m a winner and I want to win. And I want to win and give myself a chance to win and still compete for championships. That has always been my passion, that has always been my goal since I entered the league as an 18-year-old kid out of Akron, Ohio…I don’t wanna finish my career playing at this level from a team aspect. I still want to compete for championships. I know what I can bring to any ball club with the right pieces,” LeBron said.
Acquiring Pritchard wouldn’t be the move that put the Lakers back into championship contention, but it would certainly help open the floor up and potentially give the team’s offense more balance. Still, regardless of whether Los Angeles acquires Pritchard – or any other shooter – they’re still multiple moves away from being where LeBron wants them to be.
Anthony Davis Understands LeBron’s Frustration
During a December 31 interview with ESPN’s Dave McMenamin, Anthony Davis provided a response to James’ recent comments, agreeing that the aging superstar is right in wanting more for the final years of his career.
“I mean he’s not getting any younger. Of course it would only make sense that he would want to compete for championships in the X amount of years he has left in him. So I took nothing from it. I took it for exactly what it was, what he said, and I feel like it’s a true statement,” Davis said.
New story: Anthony Davis acknowledges that surgery might be required to remove a bone spur in his right foot this summer, but for now remains cautiously optimistic that he can return to the court to finish off the season
Davis, 29, is currently recovering from a stress fracture in his foot, which will keep him out of the Lakers rotation for the foreseeable future, further hurting their chances of making the post-season, and as a result, of keeping LeBron happy with his current situation.