Getty Doug McDermott, Los Angeles Lakers
Nobody expected the Los Angeles Lakers to be a reliable three-point shooting team this season, but you’ll be hard-pressed to find someone who thought they would be the worst perimeter offense in the NBA.
Yet, here we are, with the Lakers rooted to the foot of the NBA’s three-point percentage rankings, and with just one victory in their first six games. According to Sports Illustrated’s Brett Sigel, the Lakers should explore a potential trade with the San Antonio Spurs, to help kickstart their season.
Sigel’s proposed trade looks like this:
Lakers Get: Josh Richardson and Doug McDermott
Spurs Get: Russell Westbrook and Max Christie
Doug McDermott is ONLINE tonight 🎯
“A potential trade with the Indiana Pacers for Buddy Hield and Myles Turner is certainly still a possibility if the Lakers are willing to meet the Pacers’ price, but going out and trying to make a deal with the San Antonio Spurs could be a lot less costly for Los Angeles. Josh Richardson and Doug McDermott are both experienced shooters out on the wing who would instantly give the Lakers depth and skilled players that they so desperately need right now,” Sigel wrote.
Given that both LeBron James and Anthony Davis do their best work in the lanes and around the rim, it makes sense to explore opportunities to provide them with additional floor spacing, and there aren’t many better three-and-d wings the McDermott, who is averaging 41% from deep on his career.
McDermott is an Elite Shooter
According to Cleaning The Glass, which has a pre-built garbage-time filter, McDermott is among the best three-point shooters in the NBA, consistently ranking in the top 15th percentile among wings for his three-point conversion rate.
Last season, McDermott provided the Spurs with 11.3 points, 2.3 rebounds, and 1.3 assists per game while shooting 42.2% from deep and 51.2% from two-point range – breaking things down a little further, McDermott shot 40% from the corner three and 42% from everywhere else beyond the arc, making him a nightmare matchup for teams to defend when curling over screens.
Doug McDermott just gets buckets 🪣
If the Lakers could land such a talented shooter, and have him put into screening actions with either LeBron or Davis, opposing defenses would have to pick their poison – they either limit the roll to the rim from one of Los Angeles’ stars, or they look to contest the three from McDermott. Neither of those options would be ideal for an opponent’s defense.
Myles Turner Urges Lakers to Trade For Him
As noted in Siegls’ October 31 article, trading with the Spurs would be a far more cost-effective venture for the Lakers, as any potential deal would likely allow them to retain their 2027 and 2029 draft picks. However, Myles Turner believes he can be the player to help galvanize a struggling Los Angeles roster and recently went on record stating he believes the Lakers should make a deal with the Indiana Pacers happen.
Should the Lakers give up the two picks? Full audio of Pacers center Myles Turner on The Woj Pod: t.co/yP00bwvnMZ
“If I’m the Lakers, I take a very hard look at this with the position that you’re in…I know what I can provide for a team,” Turner said when discussing a potential trade during a recent appearance on Adrian Wojnarowski’s podcast, the ‘Woj Pod’.
Thus far, the Lakers have steadfastly refused to pay the Pacers’ asking price for Turner and sharpshooter Buddy Hield, so it will be interesting to see if the Spurs become a legitimate trade partner in the coming months. For now, though, the Lakers might want to give their current core more time to prove they’re heading in the right direction before making any final decisions.