There is a problem with the Los Angeles Lakers. The Lakers began December with a.500 record, having won the NBA In-Season Tournament at the beginning of the month. However, they struggled the remainder of the month.
There is still time to turn things around, so a.500 record is not fatal, but it is undeniable that this team has underachieved. A rotation that head coach Darvin Ham already finds difficult to oversee has been severely damaged by injuries.
When the team gets healthy and the schedule loosens up, Los Angeles will naturally feel more relieved, but the team also needs outside assistance. Given how this team has been performing thus far in December, the Lakers are It appears certain that a trade will be made before the deadline.
Depending on which teams are willing to be sellers by the deadline, there are a ton of options available for the Lake Show. The Washington Wizards are one team that the Lakers should definitely look into as they have a very interesting possible trade package.
Washington is definitely going to be selling off its trade assets as it makes its way to the top of the lottery. Point guard Tyus Jones is the most likely to be traded out of those trade assets because his contract is about to expire. Center Although it is unlikely that Daniel Gafford will be traded, he is a very intriguing player and would be a great addition to the Lakers.
The Lakers would acquire a point guard in this fictitious trade that can take D’Angelo Russell’s spot and actually start in the starting lineup. Despite his slight build, Jones is a dependable guard who would fit right in with the Lakers.
The six-one guard is a competent perimeter defender but by no means a defensive threat.
However, if the Lakers wanted to abandon their over-reliance on one-way wings in the starting five, Gafford is a big man who could start for them. The Lakers’ spacing would suffer without Gafford because he isn’t a floor spacer, but the team isn’t exactly known for producing excellent three-point shooters in the starting five. It could make sense if Gafford were to take Jarred Vanderbilt’s place.
Nikola Jokic freely acknowledged that the 2020 Lakers, who had multiple skilled big men to choose from, were the hardest team he had ever played against. That ought to motivate the Lakers to acquire a big man who is capable of doing more than just serving as a backend rotation player, which is what Gafford is. The Lakers will at last have continuity at the position because the young center is also signed to a three-year contract.
In terms of Washington, they have D’Angelo Russell, who is the ideal player to dedicate himself to the tank job and still be entertaining. The real tanking all-stars are Russell, Jordan Poole, and Kyle Kuzma.
The addition of Jalen Hood-Schifino and the second-round picks, however, are what really make this trade valuable. In this trade, JHS, who was just selected with the 17th overall pick, essentially gives the Wizards a first-round pick.
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