Lakers Trade Rumors: 5 Targets Who Would Solve Point Guard Woes

Derek Fisher has five rings for the Los Angeles Lakers, and certainly, his past service with the team deserves the utmost respect. Having said that, he's arguably the worst starting point guard in the NBA at present. 

This is more of a "what can you do for me tomorrow?" than "what have you done for me lately?" type of thing. They need a point guard who can help Kobe Bryant win that sixth ring. 

That point guard essentially needs to be able to do three things: facilitate, shoot the deep ball and play defense.

He needs to facilitate to maximize Bynum and/or Gasol, depending on what trades go down and who is left.

He needs to shoot the deep ball because frankly, the Lakers have an awful three-point shooting team. They are the third-worst team in the NBA in three-point percentage. 

He needs to be able to defend because right now, whoever is playing the Lakers is pretty much looking like all NBA (though Steve Blake looked decent yesterday against the Heat). 

I'll grade each of the following five point guards on a scale of 1-5 and rank them accordingly. 

Kirk Hinrich: 6

Passing: 2

Shooting: 2

Defense: 2

Total: 6

If the Lakers could get the Kirk Hinrich of three years ago, he would be an outstanding compliment. He is a former All-Defense player who has career averages of 12.8 points, 5.5 assists and a three-point percentage of .378 with 899 total makes. 

Unfortunately, after "coming back" from injury, he hasn't been that player. He's getting scorched on defense, he's averaging just 4.5 assists per 36 minutes and he's hitting on only 27 percent of his threes. His Opponent's Player Efficiency Rating (OPER) is a pretty awful 18.3, the worst on his team and 3.9 points worse than it was three years ago.  

There's some possibility that he can play his way back to where he once was, but at 31 years old, it's not likely. It's doubtful Hinrich helps the Lakers much more than Fisher. 

Raymond Felton, 7

Passing: 4

Shooting: 1

Defense: 2

Total: 7

There are talks the Lakers are talking to Portland about Raymond Felton. 

Felton can distribute, and he gets credit for that. He also has been a better player in the past and a better defender and shooter before this year. The problem is, when he came rolling into camp, he came rolling into camp, if you know what I mean. 

Per 36 minutes this year, Felton is averaging 11.1 points, 2.4 boards and 7.0 assists. He's hitting just .246 from deep. 

Last year, he was a far better player, averaging 15.3 points, 8.2 assists and 3.5 boards while shooting .353 from deep. He held opponents to a PER of just 11.8. 

If you're thinking long term, there might be something here. If he sheds the extra fat, then he could be the Felton of last year. If he doesn't, you're stuck with Baron Davis 2.0. 

He has more upside than right now indicates, and the change of scenery might do him some good. If you're trying to win a ring this year for Kobe, though, it's probably not the best trade you can make. 

Ramon Sessions: 10

Passing: 4

Shooting: 3

Defense: 3

Total: 10

Underappreciated is the potential acquisition of Ramon Sessions, who has performed admirably in spot starts. 

Sessions is an adept pick-and-roll guard, and if you translate what he's done to starter's minutes, he's actually a pretty good point guard offensively. He's averaging 15.2 points, 7.6 assists and 3.9 rebounds per 36 minutes. He's also shooting .426 from deep, though he's limiting the shots he's taking. 

Defensively, he's elevated his game to average or perhaps, even slightly above average, as he's giving up an opponent's PER of just 13.6. 

In some ways, Sessions could be the best deal that the Lakers could pull off, as he's just 25 years old and could be obtained for just a first-round pick. He's not an elite point guard, but he's a bona-fide starter. 

Considering that he could be added without subtraction, this could in many ways be the best option when you count what's going out and what's coming in. 

Rajon Rondo, 11

Passing: 5

Shooting: 1

Defense: 5

Total: 11

Rumors abound about Pau Gasol for Rajon Rondo, and there are even rumors about the validity of the rumors. 

Rajon Rondo had the best game of his career yesterday, scoring 18 points and adding 17 rebounds and 20 assists. It was one of the best single-game performances by a point guard in the history of the NBA if you are evaluating all-around performance.

Rondo is averaging 14.3 points, 10.2 assists and 5.4 rebounds. His OPER is 11.8, and he's a reigning All-Defensive player. He's one of the most tenacious perimeter defenders in the league, and he, combined with Kobe Braynt, would make a defensive backcourt that would be best in the NBA. 

The problem with Rondo is that his jump shot is almost as good as Stevie Wonder's. His effective field-goal percentage on his jump shot is .376, which is roughly what it would be if you randomly threw balls in the general vicinity of the backboard. 

Rondo is not going to help stretch the court, and as much as he would help in the other two areas, he's not going to help in that regard. Therefore, he is not the best option. 

Kyle Lowry, 12

Passing: 4

Shooting: 5

Defense: 3

Total: 12

Kyle Lowry has been on the radar if he can be wrestled away from Houston, though this may be more "pipe dream" than rumor. Still, teams have been "adamant" that they aren't going to trade them in order to drive up the asking price before. 

Lowry might not be the passer or defender that Rajon Rondo is, but he's a far better shooter, and that's more than enough to offset the marginal advantage that Rondo has in the other two areas. 

Lowry is by far the best shooter of the two, and the best scorer available. He averages 15.8 points, 7.3 assists and 5.3 rebounds for the Rockets. He also is hitting .391 from deep, and his effective field goal percentage is .502, while his true shooting is .567. That's the primary reason his PER is 20.0 to Rondo's 18.7.

For many teams, Rondo might be the better option, and he might be the better point guard overall, but not for the Lakers. With the offensive weapons on the Lakers who can score inside with Andrew Bynum and Kobe Bryant, who can still penetrate, they don't need a point guard who gets in the lane. They need one who stretches the court. 

That's why while it might seem unorthodox to rank Lowry ahead of Rondo here, it's where he shakes out. 

Having said that, there's the additional argument that the Boston trade would bring back Jermaine O'Neal with Rondo, and the Rockets trade would bring back Luis Scola with Lowry. Along with Lowry being a better fit, he brings a better companion. 

Having said that, the best option of all might be Sessions, along with Pau Gasol, not getting traded.