Ahead of the NBA trade deadline, the Los Angeles Lakers are the talk of the town once more. It’s not surprising given the team’s 22–23 record and inability to cross the.500 barrier.
However, what has been notable is the quantity of players connected to the Lakers in different reports or rumors, highlighting a wide range of potential directions the team could go.
ESPN NBA front office insider Bobby Marks assembled two possible trades that could be a good fit for the Lakers on Wednesday. These trades show just how different Rob Pelinka and company’s options can be. The inclusion of D’Angelo Russell, who has been mentioned a lot as the deadline draws near and is having one of his best months ever while playing at an extremely high level, is a similarity between the two deals.
Marks came up with the first trade proposal, which would be a great move by the front office, to protect their first-round pick in the event that the Lakers win the lottery in 2029. However, it also includes Russell and Rui Hachimura, two players who were anticipated to have an above-average impact coming into the season, though the latter hasn’t always been the case.
Even though he only scores 11.1 points per game on average, Hachimura has had trouble building on the promising flashes of last season, especially in the postseason. This season, he’s averaging the second-fewest shot attempts per game (nine) and the fewest rebounds per game (3.5) of his career.
The Lakers would target Dorian Finney-Smith and Spencer Dinwiddie, two players with upside, in return. Both would make excellent rotational additions. But since 2020–21, the last year of the guard’s first season with the Brooklyn Nets, Dinwiddie is having his worst statistical season to date. In addition to averaging 13.2 points on 39.5% shooting, he is now averaging 6.0 assists per game, down from 9.1 the previous season.
The Lakers can benefit greatly from this trade because of the potential of both players as well as Finney-Smith’s defensive and outside shooting skills. Down the stretch of the season, Dinwiddie could have a significant impact if he can replicate his form from the previous campaign.
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