He could be a great two-way addition.
The NBA’s trade deadline is quickly approaching. In just eight days from now, NBA contenders are going to look much different than they do right now. Hopefully, the Los Angeles Lakers are among those teams.
The Lakers got ahead of the market, trading for 6-foot-8 forward Rui Hachimura, in a move that has instantly paid dividends. Hachimura looked like a seamless fit in the lineup Tuesday night, going for 19 points and nine rebounds in a huge win for LA against the New York Knicks.
Hachimura’s perfect fit as a lengthy two-way wing could convince the Lakers to go out and get another one, because you can never have too much size. And if they do, the guys at Bleacher Report think they should go after veteran 3-and-D guard/forward Josh Richardson. Here would be their trade proposal:
Lakers Receive: Josh Richardson
Spurs Receive: Patrick Beverley and a 2023 second-rounder (most favorable from the Lakers or Chicago)
And here’s a part of their reasoning:
“Surfing the market for real, actual wings—or any player over 6’4″—is the way to go. And while impact wings don’t typically come cheap, someone like Josh Richardson should be fairly gettable. He is in the final year of his deal and not worth a first-rounder, yet he can defend up and down the positional spectrum and provides more of an offensive punch than many of the Lakers’ other supporting cast members.”
Richardson would be a perfect fit on this Laker team, and the idea of not having to trade more than Patrick Beverly and a second-round pick has to have the team salivating.
Richardson is a career 12 points per game scorer on 42.9 percent shooting from the field, 36.5 percent from deep and 84.1 percent from the charity stripe. He’s never been a go-to scorer on a team, but that makes him an even better fit for LA.
Between LeBron James and Anthony Davis, the Lakers have more than enough star power. The more 3-and-D wings they can add before the deadline, the better.
Laker fans were relieved to see head coach Darvin Ham’s lineups on Tuesday night — now imagine if there was another 6-foot-5 versatile wing in there.
