Lakers Shouldn't Consider Fred VanVleet amid Latest NBA Free Agency, Trade Rumors

By the end of last season, the Los Angeles Lakers had pieced together a core that was good enough to reach the Western Conference Finals but not good enough to stand up to the eventual champions, the Denver Nuggets.

The Lakers have a lot of work to do this offseason just to bring their core back. Players like Austin Reaves, Lonnie Walker IV, Rui Hachimura, Dennis Schröder and D'Angelo Russell will either be restricted or unrestricted free agents.

Then, L.A. will face the challenge of using limited cap assets to try improving enough to match a team like Denver in the postseason. For a brief moment, it appeared Los Angeles might have a prime budget option in point guard Chris Paul.

On Sunday, ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported the Phoenix Suns had agreed to acquire Bradley Beal from the Washington Wizards and Paul would be part of the exchange.

It seemed at the time that the 38-year-old could be waived and possibly available to sign at a team-friendly price...one that the Lakers were reportedly open to.

"The Lakers for sure would have interest in acquiring Chris Paul, but only for the veteran minimum," Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times wrote.

However, Wojnarowski also reported Washington hoped to involve a third team in the trade that would take on Paul and his $30.8 million salary. On Monday, he added that the Wizards wouldn't be in a rush to release him if he ends up in Washington.

"The Wizards are in no hurry, I'm told, to start discussing the possibility of a contract buyout," Wojnarowski told SportsCenter (h/t Bleacher Report's Francisco Rosa).

At this point, the chances of the Lakers landing Paul at the veteran minimum appear to be painfully low. After watching Russell struggle against the Nuggets in the conference finals, fans may be wondering where L.A. can turn for help at point guard.

This brings us to Fred VanVleet of the Toronto Raptors.

The 29-year-old was an All-Star just two years ago and will be an unrestricted free agent this offseason. The Raptors could re-sign him, but he's expected to draw interest from teams like the Lakers as a sign-and-trade candidate.

"Toronto remains in the mix to re-sign the 2022 All-Star guard," HoopsHype's Michael Scotto wrote. "However, several other teams, including the Rockets, Lakers, Suns, and Magic, have been linked to VanVleet as potential suitors, while other playoff-caliber teams could emerge as sign-and-trade options."

The problem is that getting VanVleet on the veteran minimum—the Lakers' hope for Paul—simply isn't going to happen. According to Scotto, he is going to command at least $30 million annually, a figure also reported by Yahoo Sports' Jake Fischer.

"Early indications are that any team hoping to land VanVleet's services is going to have to surpass three years, $90 million," Fischer wrote.

Essentially, the only way the Lakers could wind up with VanVleet is by using Russell to execute a double sign-and-trade. That's a problem because A) it would require Toronto wanting to take on Russell and B) it would leave Los Angeles without the point guard who helped it reach the postseason last year.

The value in getting Paul on the veteran minimum is that it would allow the Lakers to have both him and Russell on the roster, possibly with Schröder as the odd man out.

Of course, this doesn't mean the Lakers aren't open to using Russell as a sign-and-trade chip. According to The Athletic's Jovan Buha, they are considering signing him to a front-loaded contract, possibly to use him in a later trade.

"Their preference is to find a superior player by either sign-and-trading Russell elsewhere in July or, more likely at this point, re-signing him and then potentially trading him later in the season for a better player or fit," Buha wrote.

Swapping Russell for VanVleet at a similar salary wouldn't give Los Angeles the clear upgrade it needs. VanVleet is roughly two years older than Russell, has been less efficient from three-point range (34.2 percent last season versus Russell's 41.4 percent with L.A.) and doesn't have the experience playing with LeBron James and Anthony Davis that Russell now possesses.

While VanVleet is clearly still a very good player, he wouldn't bring the continuity and perimeter shooting Russell can provide. And Russell could prove to be much better with a full offseason and preseason in L.A.

With Paul likely out of the mix, the Lakers' best move at this point is to simply get Russell under contract, see how the early season unfolds and wait to see what trade options present themselves before the trade deadline.

Maybe a better player or fit will emerge, but VanVleet isn't that player and shouldn't be viewed as a top offseason target for the Lakers.