Lakers Trade Radmanovic to Bobcats for Adam Morrison

Ryan WardFeb 7, 2009

In somewhat of a surprise, the Lakers have turned out to be the first team to make a trade with only a couple weeks left until the NBA trade deadline on February 19th.

I was wondering why sharp shooting Vladimir Radmanovic didn't play a single minute against the Boston Celtics on Thursday, but now it seems clear that they were already set on shipping him up to the Charlotte Bobcats.

In return for sending Radmanovic to Charlotte the Lakers will get guard Shannon Brown, who had a great game against the LA a week ago, and small forward Adam Morrison.

Morrison, the Gonzaga scoring machine, was Michael Jordan's first draft pick as part of the Charlotte Bobcats franchise picking the forward third overall. With other players like Rudy Gay and Brandon Roy being picked after Morrison the decision to go after the high scoring small forward hasn't exactly turned out in the Bobcats favor.

Radmanovic may not be having a great season scoring only 5.9 points a game and 2.5 rebounds, but he is lights out from beyond the arc and is arguably one the best three point shooters in the NBA today.

Adam Morrison, on the other hand, hasn't really lived up to expectations and has fallen out of favor with Bobcats head coach Larry Brown.

Although the Lakers will miss Radmanovic shooting from deep, Morrison is not a bad replacement being younger, more athletic and a great shooter as well. Shannon Brown with also help with the Lakers depth on the bench at the guard position.

This also may not be the end to the Lakers making deals before the trade deadline as trade rumors have been swirling around the league with big names on the market like Amare Stoudamire, Shaq, and Lamar Odom.