Los Angeles Lakers' Biggest Needs Heading into 2016-17 NBA Trade Deadline
The run-up to the NBA's February 23 trade deadline is a time when rumors run amok and execs burn through cellphone batteries in pursuit of new blood for their respective teams.
But in Lakerland, the most recent hot news centered on something other than potential player swaps. Earvin "Magic" Johnson is coming home—as an advisor.
"We are thrilled and honored to add Magic's expertise and abilities, and I look forward to working alongside him" Lakers Governor Jeanie Buss said, per NBA.com.
It's not yet apparent whether Johnson's arrival will fan any flames on the player acquisition front. General manager Mitch Kupchak previously said on Spectrum SportsNet: "We're not actively trying to do something."
However, that won't prevent us from organizing a wish list. Because a team hovering near the bottom of the totem pole in the Western Conference obviously has some glaring needs.
Big-Man Shooters
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In a league so obsessed with big men who can stretch the floor, the Lakers have none.
Consider this inescapable fact: Timofey Mozgov, Ivica Zubac, Tarik Black and Thomas Robinson have combined for a grand total of zero made three-pointers so far this season. The long-distance wizardry doesn't improve much with Julius Randle and Larry Nance Jr., who have netted seven treys between them.
Maybe spindly Brandon Ingram will be that guy someday. But not now—the 6'9" rookie is converting just 28.7 percent of his lofts from beyond the arc.
Surely there must be an available frontcourt player who can fill the gap in L.A.
Unfortunately, tall dudes who draw defenders out to the perimeter are in high demand. And, the ones who might be attainable are often one-trick ponies or aging specimens that won't help a team whose emphasis is growth and development.
Steve Novak fits both the one-trick and aging categories and is now available after being waived by the Milwaukee Bucks. The minimum-minutes gunner is a prime example of someone who wouldn't help the Lakers' long-range ambitions.
But what about DeMarcus Cousins of the Sacramento Kings? The mercurial big man checks off plenty of boxes, including shooting, physicality and star power. The cost for Boogie would be high, but he dominates so many aspects of the game that his name has to be in contention.
1-on-1 Stopper
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L.A. has had one of the league's worst team defenses all season. It would be nice to have a single killer one-on-one stopper on the roster.
In a perfect world, that player would be able to guard multiple positions—imagine Luol Deng or Metta World Peace transported via time machine back to their glory days.
But since quantum physics hasn't yet progressed that far, the search will have to expand in other ways.
That means looking for players who are either at their peak or still developing, and ideally those with the kind of lateral quickness and instincts to deter incoming opponents before they penetrate the paint.
Serge Ibaka of the Orlando Magic still has plenty of game left, while Nerlens Noel, just 23 years old, has been an odd man out this season for the Philadelphia 76ers.
However, convincing their respective teams to take on secondary role players or a vet like Deng in exchange will make the process tricky.
Get Even Younger
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The Lakers' youth movement is a double-edged sword—it's good for the future but limits immediate success. So why would it make sense to take even more baby steps?
As Bleacher Report's Adam Fromal writes, there's room for more in the talent pool of young ballers like D'Angelo Russell, Ingram, Randle and Nance: "The Lakers aren't competing for a postseason berth this year, so they may as well keep thinking about the future. If they can get another young talent in exchange for Lou Williams or Luol Deng, it's worth doing. If they can pull off a heist that results in an impressive draft pick, that's even better."
And if a meaningful first-round pick can't be obtained, why not look into something more modest? ESPN.com's Marc Stein recently reported on the Cleveland Cavaliers' interest in Jose Calderon as a backup point guard. Remember, Calderon is on an expiring contract, so the Lakers have nothing to lose by dealing him.
The Cavs have limited assets to offer Los Angeles, but this would be more about unloading an aging piece before he can walk for nothing. Whether bringing in a developmental project or adding picks for the years ahead, investing in the future is rarely a bad thing.
Established Stars
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It's easy enough to noodle around the edges or focus on specific skill sets, but there's an obvious fact that looms much larger—the current Lakers roster does not include a single superstar.
You know, the kind of marquee talent the front office has chased after fruitlessly for the past few years—the type of game-changer who can carry a team on his back.
The last such franchise cornerstone—Kobe Bryant—went out in a 60-point blaze of glory last season after years of diminishing returns and mounting injuries. It's high time the Lakers land another big fish.
But as we've seen, that's a tall order for a once-dominant Purple and Gold now facing a near certainty of failing to advance to the playoffs for the fourth year in a row.
If L.A. can't entice a difference-maker during free agency, could it find a general manager who's more willing to play ball? It is theoretically possible, but the cost would be prohibitive and certainly include some combination of the Lakers' best young assets.
The Carmelo Anthony drama has taught us that the New York Knicks are only talking to the Cavs, Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Clippers, per Adrian Wojnarowski and Chris Mannix of The Vertical. We also know that the Clips, should they acquire the nine-time All-Star, wouldn't have to part with any members of their Big Three. With that in mind, the Lakers would be smart to hop on the phone and see just how desperate the Knicks are.
There are also players like Cousins and Paul Millsap who could be targets for the right price. Kupchak shouldn't be willing to part with his young core, but he should be 100 percent willing to make calls to figure out at what price these stars are available.
Patience
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The Lakers are in the midst of an ongoing evolution, from the growth of players to larger organizational issues.
As Bleacher Report's Kevin Ding wrote, Johnson's return "could lead to sweeping changes" for the team, especially when it comes to the rocky tenure of Jim Buss as the team's head of basketball operations.
Meanwhile, first-year head coach Luke Walton continues to search for ways to motivate a team that can't seem to find its balance from one quarter to the next.
"As a team, I thought we got selfish," Walton said after a loss to the Celtics on Friday, per Lakers.com's Joey Ramirez. "We stopped moving the ball. We stopped trusting each other. And because of it, we don't make shots. And when we don't make shots our defense gets lazy. … We gotta get better at putting whole games together."
Building team culture during a losing season is a challenging and delicate process. And while everything we've mentioned so far—from defense to star power—falls into the category of Lakers needs, none of it matters if the organization makes rash decisions that sacrifice the long-term outlook.
That becomes even more important when the front office leadership of the organization itself may be in flux.
Despite obvious frustrations, Walton has succeeded in implementing an open-court brand of basketball that is exciting to watch and competitive, at least for finite periods of play. Ultimately, what's most needed at the moment is patience—and lots of it.
Statistics are courtesy of Basketball-Reference.com and are current as of the end of games on Sunday, February 5.
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