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Sports Betting Personal Finance Public Notices Obituaries Shopping BASKETBALL This Risky Lakers-Pelicans Trade Could Appease Both Sides BY December 31, 2023 6:44 PM Year 21 For LeBron James Is Nothing But History Maven – LA Lakers Your Los Angeles Lakers have a big problem: their offense just can’t get off the ground.
Part of this is because the team starts out already behind, thanks to the cramped floor spacing necessitated by head coach Darvin Ham’s bizarre preferred starting lineup of All-NBA star LeBron James at the point, Taurean Prince at shooting guard, Cam Reddish at small forward, Jarred Vanderbilt at power forward, and possible Defensive Player of the Year contender Anthony Davis at center.
Only two of those players, James and Prince, are above-average three-point shooters on volume (Davis is a 40% three-point shooter, but he’s only taking a single attempt a game). Tonight’s opposition, the reigning champion Denver Nuggets, could cure what ails Los Angeles.
Although it’s highly unlikely Denver would want to do anything to disrupt what’s been perhaps the best or second-best (behind the mighty Boston Celtics) starting five in the league, the team could opt to shore up its depth in a deal with its West rivals.
While stars Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray are no doubt off the table as trade chips, injury-prone, maximum-salaried small foward Michael Porter Jr.
could probably be had if the price is right. He’s a fantastic, creative scorer (though not an amazing passer), and would help take some pressure off James offensively.
Porter is currently earning $33.4 million with the Nuggets. The Lakers wouldn’t want to give up on James or Davis in a Porter deal, but would the team be amenable to moving on from Austin Reaves, whom Darvin Ham seems committed to underutilizing in a miscast bench role?
A trade package of Reaves (earning a bargain $12 million), forward Rui Hachimura ($15.7 million — he can’t defend smaller wings, so Denver may have to swap him and Aaron Gordon positionally) could help improve the Nuggets’ depth, while also giving them two players without MPJ’s long-term injury concerns.
The Lakers could throw in rookie shooting guard Jalen Hood-Schifino or one of their underused backup centers (Christian Wood or Jaxson Hayes) to match the incoming money.
Given that Davis and James are old and health risks anyway, Porter gives the Lakers a great offensive young piece, with an All-Star upside, who’d be the best player in that deal.
Is he slightly overpaid given his injury concerns? Perhaps, but the risk might just be worth it.
Read more at: https://www.miamiherald.com/sports/nba/article283701198.html#storylink=cpy
