Lakers Takeaways from 2023 NBA Trade Deadline
The Los Angeles Lakers kept plenty busy at the 2023 NBA trade deadline.
If you include their late January deal for Rui Hachimura, they wound up striking three trades that brought back six players and two draft picks.
The supporting cast changed dramatically around LeBron James and Anthony Davis—and for the better. The new-look Lakers are younger and far more competent from three-point land.
What else do we know about this team? Well, we did find the following three things out during trade season.
The Front Office Is Committed to Winning Now
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All season long, it was fair to wonder how hard the Lakers would push for roster reinforcements.
On the one hand, they had prime versions of James and Davis just itching for a competent supporting cast that would allow them to compete at a high level. On the other, there were enough questions about this club's ceiling to think it may never climb high enough to justify the sacrifice of long-term assets.
Well, worry no more.
While the Lakers didn't trade both of the future first-round picks at their disposal (2027 and 2029), they did send out the earlier one (with top-four protection smartly attached to it) in the deal that dumped Russell Westbrook and delivered D'Angelo Russell, Malik Beasley and Jarred Vanderbilt. They also parted with three second-rounders in the Hachimura deal.
Perhaps most revealing of all, they reportedly put both firsts on the table in their offer for Kyrie Irving. The front office was ready, in other words, to make an all-in push if a player who warranted such an aggressive offer became available.
Austin Reaves Is a Keeper
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There is absolutely a universe in which the Lakers landed Irving at the deadline, allowing him and James to go championship-chasing like they were back in Cleveland.
Of course, in that universe, Austin Reaves almost assuredly isn't playing for the Purple and Gold anymore.
One of the reasons trade talks fell apart between the Lakers and Brooklyn Nets is that L.A. wouldn't include Reaves or rookie Max Christie without getting Irving to agree to a two-year contract extension first, per The Athletic's Jovan Buha. The Lakers, Buha relayed, "view both players as key members of their young supporting cast."
L.A.'s lack of youth surely contributed to its interest in keeping the 20-year-old Christie, but it's different with Reaves. This might only be his second NBA season, but he'll turn 25 before the next champion is crowned. The Lakers aren't blindly hoping for upside here, but rather they seem to have recognized that Reaves can have a huge say in their success right now.
The Itch for Shooting Was Finally Scratched
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The Lakers' lack of spacing has been confounding all season. James has enjoyed his greatest successes when surrounded by shooters, and Davis is a nightmare matchup when he has room to roam around the basket.
L.A. finally addressed this glaring void at the deadline.
Each trade seemed to bring the Lakers a step closer to proper spacing. Hachimura is most comfortable inside the arc, but he has been a league-average shooter beyond it for his career. Mo Bamba is one of the better floor-stretching centers in this league.
The real crown jewels, though, are Russell and Malik Beasley, both of whom have splashed at least 36 percent of their career three-point tries. Russell helps as both a pull-up and spot-up shooter, while Beasley's off-ball movement and willingness to launch make him a wildly helpful wing to have around L.A.'s frontcourt stars.
