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A lot of Los Angeles Lakers trade speculation has surrounded them adding a center in recent weeks. However, the team could use some help in their backcourt, especially with LeBron James out. There should be some solid options available to Los Angeles.
When the Lakers signed Wesley Matthews, he was supposed to essentially replicate what Danny Green did for the team last season. He just needed to play solid defense and hit open threes. He’s fine on defense but he’s having his worst shooting season. The career 38% shooter from three is only shooting 33.6% this season. That’s been a big reason why the Lakers have struggled from beyond the arc.
Former NBA executive John Hollinger wrote in The Athletic that Los Angeles should use Matthews in a trade for New York Knicks guard Austin Rivers.
L.A.’s “best” package is something like Wesley Matthews, Alfonzo McKinnie and its second-round picks in 2023 and 2024, and with that, it could only take back up to about $5.8 million in salary to stay under the hard cap. But what, pray tell, would that return of any significance?
More realistically, trading Matthews and a second to the Knicks for Austin Rivers would at least bring back another on-ball scorer and quasi-shooter and not mess with the cap. Rivers might sit in the playoffs, but he’d be really helpful while James is out.
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Should Lakers Make This Trade?
At this point, it’s fair to question if Matthews is a good fit with the Lakers. He hasn’t been making the right kind of impact and his role has been inconsistent this season. There have been times where he’s disappeared from the lineup completely.
In addition to the shooting struggles, Matthews is just struggling to score in general. He’s averaging a career-low 4.2 points a game. He’s been a solid player over his career so it’s always possible that he can turn things back around. However, Rivers could be a more dependable scorer and ball handler while the Lakers wait for LeBron to get healthy. It wouldn’t a game-changing trade but it could be worth looking into for Los Angeles.
Lakers Could Also Target Familiar Face
If the Lakers aren’t high on Rivers, they could look at a familiar face. Per Hollinger, Svi Mykhailiuk could be a fit with the team.
“Another name they might ask about: Svi Mykhailiuk, who was just traded to Oklahoma City but started out as a savvy Laker second-round pick in 2018,” Hollinger wrote.
As Hollinger pointed, Mykhailiuk was a member of the Lakers in the past. He only played 39 and never left much of a mark. He was eventually traded to the Detroit Pistons in the deal that landed Reggie Bullock. Mykhailiuk spent a couple of seasons with the Pistons but was just recently traded to the Thunder. The Lakers have made deals with Oklahoma City recently so maybe they’ll try to make another.
Mykhailiuk is a career 36.9% shooter from three. That’s not elite but it could be good enough to help the Lakers. However, if the goal is to find shooting, there should be other options available to the team.
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Former Exec Proposes Lakers Trade Disappointing Vet for Knicks Guard