Lakers' Hypothetical Blockbuster Trades to Shake Up NBA Offseason
It's possible the Los Angeles Lakers will take a championship roster into the 2023 NBA offseason. They're one of only four teams left in the title hunt and are playing in their first conference finals since their championship run in 2020.
Given their level of success this postseason, they may not be in the market for major changes this summer. Then again, some flaws might get exposed this round or the next, and the Lakers could hit the trade market to correct them.
We won't know their offseason priorities for at least a little while longer, but let's hypothetically imagine they are eager to broker a blockbuster this summer. If so, the following three options are worth exploring.
Pursuing a Lights-Out Shooter
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The Trade: Malik Beasley and a future first-round pick to the Indiana Pacers for Buddy Hield
It was no coincidence that the Lakers salvaged their season at the trade deadline by adding shooting and improving their offensive spacing. That had long been the logical move to make, as both LeBron James and Anthony Davis become exponentially harder to handle when they have room to move around the floor.
However, it's not as if L.A. suddenly traded its way into becoming an elite shooting team. Even after the trade deadline, the Lakers only climbed to 20th in three-point makes and 15th in three-point percentage.
Part of the problem is that Malik Beasley, the best on-paper shooter whom they added, never lived up to the billing. That's why it would make sense to swap him and a future first-round pick for former Lakers trade target Buddy Hield, who is one of the NBA's premier perimeter shooters.
Hield, who might be too old for the rebuilding Pacers to keep, just had an absurd shooting season, netting a career-high 288 triples at a 42.5 percent clip. He'd have cheat-code potential playing alongside James and Davis, who could both feed him for spot-up shots and thrive in the open areas that his shooting would create.
Reuniting LeBron James with Kyrie Irving
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The Trade: D'Angelo Russell and a future first-round pick to the Dallas Mavericks for Kyrie Irving (double sign-and-trade)
Kyrie Irving is a natural target for the Lakers even though The Athletic's Tim Cato reported they're "uninterested" in pursuing him this offseason.
The Lakers valued Irving enough to offer two future first-round picks (the most they could trade) to the Brooklyn Nets before the mercurial guard was sent to the Mavericks. When Irving went elsewhere, James didn't hide his disappointment. That surprised absolutely no one, since the pair previously led a championship run together on the Cleveland Cavaliers.
It's hard to imagine L.A. is fully out on Irving now. There are nights when this offense just can't get out of the mud. Catch one of those, and it's easy to see how much of an impact Irving could make with his shooting, efficient scoring and shot-creation.
The Lakers would need to jump through a few financial hoops to make this happen, since teams above the first salary-cap apron can't receive players via sign-and-trade. That's fine. If it means losing out on a player like Rui Hachimura, that's a sacrifice L.A. could be willing to make to get a player of Irving's caliber.
Now, would Dallas facilitate this swap? That's debatable. But if Irving wants out—the Mavericks may not want to max him out given how unreliable he's become (60 or fewer appearances in each of the last four seasons)—they'll want to get something in return. Russell could mimic some of his shot-making and creating, and the pick would give Dallas an extra asset to shop around for more help.
Finally Getting a Chris Paul Trade Done
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The Trade: D'Angelo Russell (sign-and-trade) to the Phoenix Suns for Chris Paul
Back in 2011, the Lakers had agreed to a trade to acquire an in-prime Chris Paul, only for the league, acting as interim owners of the then-New Orleans Hornets, to veto the deal. While Paul is no longer in his prime, there could still be interest in putting him in Purple and Gold.
L.A. doesn't have a natural table-setter to complement James. Russell, Dennis Schröder and Austin Reaves can all initiate offense, but they're better as scorers than passers. Paul, meanwhile, still ranks among the Association's best decision-makers, having just averaged 8.9 assists per game against only 1.9 turnovers.
He'd help the Lakers maximize each position, and he'd consistently put James and Davis in favorable scoring situations. Paul would even elevate the supporting cast by knowing where his teammates are most effective and learning how they like to be set up. He'd also be a defensive upgrade over Russell.
The Lakers wouldn't have the widest window by adding the 38-year-old Paul, but that's already the case since James is the same age. Making the most of this championship window with James is more important than trying to keep one open after he's gone.
The Suns, meanwhile, might be willing to lose Paul's passing to get Russell's superior scoring and shooting. Their offense runs through Devin Booker and Kevin Durant a ton anyway, so they might get more out of a scoring-focused Russell than they would Paul's distributing.
They might have to cut costs to make this deal a possibility, as they're flirting with the cap apron already. But there are ways to trim salary, like moving Deandre Ayton to a club with cap room or incentivizing someone to take Landry Shamet off their hands.
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