Wild, Realistic Lineups the Lakers Could Have in a Matter of Weeks
The Los Angeles Lakers could look a whole lot different by Thursday afternoon.
Fresh off a 42-point thrashing at the hands of the Indiana Pacers, it appears trade rumors and Anthony Davis talk may be taking its toll on the Lakers, who have now dropped to 10th in the Western Conference.
The pressure is on to add help around LeBron James, which has become a tradition this time of year. The Cleveland Cavaliers had the benefit of playing in a watered-down Eastern Conference and with a mostly healthy James the past four years, meaning they were guaranteed a playoff spot even while sleepwalking through most of the winter months. Los Angeles isn't as fortunate.
While Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times reported the Lakers have pulled out of trade talks surrounding Davis, it seems inevitable that Magic Johnson will once again try to pair James with the 25-year-old superstar center.
Turner reported the Lakers offered six players in a deal for Davis, including all of their young core (Lonzo Ball, Kyle Kuzma, Brandon Ingram, Josh Hart, Ivica Zubac) and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope.
Whether Davis gets traded or not, other moves could soon follow for Los Angeles. By signing Lance Stephenson, Michael Beasley, JaVale McGee and Rajon Rondo this past summer, Johnson and crew clearly aren't afraid to take chances with strong personalities, either.
The Lakers have already made their first trade, acquiring shooting guard Reggie Bullock from the Detroit Pistons for Svi Mykhailiuk and a 2021 second-round pick, per Marc J. Spears of The Undefeated.
Based off trade rumors and likely buyout candidates, here's how some Lakers lineups could look after the trade deadline.
The 'Clean House for Anthony Davis' Lineup
Step 1: Trade for Anthony Davis
Step 2: Trade for/sign Jabari Parker
Step 3: Sign Wesley Matthews
This is priority No. 1.
Davis would be among the best players to ever be traded in their prime and give James arguably the most talented teammate he's ever had (apologies to Dwyane Wade and Kyrie Irving).
According to Turner, the Lakers also offered a pair of first-round picks and the willingness to take back Solomon Hill and his $12.7 million contract for 2019-20.
It would be tough for any team to match this massive combination of young players and draft picks—even the Boston Celtics.
Let's say New Orleans realizes this and accepts the deal. Davis is on board, but the rest of the roster is depleted. Perhaps the biggest name outside of Davis rumored to be on the Lakers' radar is Jabari Parker of the Chicago Bulls.
As ESPN's Brian Windhorst noted on his podcast (h/t HoopsHype's Bryan Kalbrosky), Parker could be a Laker soon:
"[KCP] is available and has been floated out there for some spots. One place that they have talked to—now I'm not saying this deal is going to get done—but one place they have talked to is Chicago for Jabari Parker. And the thing about this is Caldwell-Pope has to approve of a trade. … I'm not sure that's going to get done, but that's been discussed. The Bulls really like Caldwell-Pope. … Parker could be a Laker within the next few days. Jabari is a polarizing player, but he might be interesting on the Lakers."
Assuming Caldwell-Pope isn't included in a deal for Davis, his salary along with that of Beasley or Stephenson would match Parker's $20 million contract closely enough to pass for a trade. The Lakers could plug Parker in at power forward and decline his team option this summer, thus preserving their cap space. There's also the chance Chicago could buy Parker out of his current contract, leaving him free to sign with Los Angeles should he so choose.
With Rondo running point guard full time now, the Lakers could use some added shooting.
According to ESPN's Bobby Marks, Matthews could become a buyout candidate following his trade from the Dallas Mavericks to the New York Knicks. The 32-year-old is averaging 12.9 points on 37.4 percent shooting from three. He may be too good for the Knicks to keep for their tanking purposes.
New Projected Lineup
PG: Rajon Rondo
SG: Wesley Matthews
SF: LeBron James
PF: Jabari Parker
C: Anthony Davis
Sixth Man: Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (if Parker is bought out and signed as free agent)
The 'LeBron Buddies' Lineup
Step 1: Trade for Anthony Davis
Step 2: Sign Carmelo Anthony
Step 3: Sign JR Smith
For this scenario, we'll imagine the Lakers once again landed Davis but that it also cost them Caldwell-Pope.
Davis is a monster, but the trade to get him guts all of the young talent and trade assets the Lakers possess. Because of this, they'll once again have to turn to the free-agent market.
If the Carmelo Anthony Comeback Tour has any life left, who better to restore it than James?
According to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, the Lakers would be willing to bring in Anthony should they have a roster spot: "The Los Angeles Lakers have an interest in Anthony but have no plans to waive a player to create an available roster spot for him, league sources said. If a roster spot becomes available with the Lakers before or after the trade deadline, L.A. will be a possible destination for Anthony."
After trading a third of the roster for Davis, this wouldn't be a problem.
If Anthony would commit to a stretch-4 role, he could still be a productive player beside James and Davis. This may be his last (albeit small) chance at his first championship as well. With this many roster spots and an existing friendship with James, a signing of Anthony seems destined to happen.
If Matthews ends up staying with the Knicks, the Lakers will have to find a shooter elsewhere.
Enter Smith.
Smith, a former teammate of both James and Anthony, will likely see a buyout coming from the Cavaliers if the team doesn't trade him by the deadline. He hasn't played since November after being sent away by the Cavs after they plunged head-first into a rebuild.
Despite what happened at the end of Game 1 of the 2018 Finals, James and Smith always had a strong relationship—one that could be rekindled in Los Angeles.
New Projected Lineup
PG: Rajon Rondo
SG: JR Smith
SF: LeBron James
PF: Carmelo Anthony
C: Anthony Davis
Sixth Man: Reggie Bullock
The 'We Didn't Get Anthony Davis' Lineup
Step 1: Trade for Nikola Vucevic
Step 2: Trade for Trevor Ariza
Step 3: Sign DeAndre Jordan
If the Pelicans want to wait until summer when the Celtics can create a bidding war for Davis, the Lakers will be forced to set their sights on another All-Star center.
Vucevic is averaging 20.7 points, 12.0 rebounds and 3.8 assists for the Orlando Magic this season, earning his first All-Star appearance. While he's not Davis, Vucevic would still be a huge upgrade over McGee.
Bill Oram of The Athletic listed Vucevic as a possible target for the Lakers, noting their need for shooting at all positions. The Lakers would have to match Vucevic's $12.8 million salary, as well as throw in a sweetener (Kuzma? Hart? A first-round pick?) for Orlando to agree.
Simply adding Vucevic wouldn't be enough to spark a deep playoff run, but this Lakers team would still have trade ammunition.
A former Laker could be making his way back to L.A., per ESPN's Ramona Shelburne:
Ariza has already been traded once this season, moving from the Phoenix Suns to the Washington Wizards. With Washington (22-31) sinking away from contender status, it would make sense to move Ariza once more.
He is averaging 12.4 points, 5.6 rebounds and 3.7 assists between Phoenix and Washington, and Ariza, James and Ingram would make for a long, athletic wing trio. Sending an expiring deal in Caldwell-Pope and a first-round pick for Ariza should work for both sides.
DeAndre Jordan is another guy who could potentially reach a buyout with his current team, per Marks.
Jordan was almost a Cavalier alongside James last season, as Joe Vardon, then of Cleveland.com, reported the Cavs and Los Angeles Clippers talked about a trade centered around Jordan for weeks.
Now a Knick, Jordan would like to return to L.A., Dan Woike of the Los Angeles Times noted. He'd be an excellent backup for Vucevic, bringing a completely different type of offensive game.
Not getting Davis would sting, but the Lakers would still have plenty of options to improve.
New Projected Lineup
PG: Lonzo Ball
SG: Brandon Ingram
SF: Trevor Ariza
PF: LeBron James
C: Nikola Vucevic
Sixth Man: DeAndre Jordan
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