After the trade deadline, is there hope for LA?
After this All-Star break is in the rearview next week, your Los Angeles Lakers will strive to make the 2023 postseason with a completely revamped roster.
LA team vice president of basketball operations Rob Pelinka made a series of savvy maneuvers ahead of this year’s NBA trade deadline, designed to rid LA of several bad contracts and give the club a lot more shooting and defense.
Jim Alexander of The Orange County Register praises Rob Pelinka’s tactical trades, which (a) yielded a younger team around experienced veterans LeBron James and Anthony Davis, (b) produced players who fit better next to James and Davis, and (c) helped the team get rid of probably its biggest detriment pre-deadline: the $47.1 million contract of Russell Westbrook.
D’Angelo Russell, Malik Beasley, and Mo Bamba offer solid three-point shooting, which will open up driving lanes and space in the paint for Davis and James. Bamba and Jarred Vanderbilt provide solid defense, especially around the rim. Even journeyman shooting guard Davon Reed is a decent three-point shooter (37.8% on 1.2 attempts this season), though he barely plays (8.8 minutes a night).
Alexander notes that Pelinka got quite the haul for the epic contracts of washed-up guards Westbrook, Patrick Beverley, and Kendrick Nunn, plus defense-free center Thomas Bryant. He even managed to preserve one of the Lakers’ two movable first-round draft picks (in 2029) in the offing.
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