When the Lakers won the championship in 2020, they went with the formula of two superstars — LeBron James and Anthony Davis — surrounded by a battery of quality role players. However, since then, the franchise has rolled the dice on certain third stars that didn’t exactly pan out.
Many analysts criticized the Lakers for letting go of Kyle Kuzma and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, two of those quality role players that helped them win the 2020 title. With Kuzma seemingly stuck in purgatory in a losing situation in Washington, should the Lakers make a run at bringing back the eighth-year forward?
Fadeaway World’s Fran Leiva has proposed a three-team trade that would fetch the Lakers Kuzma and veteran point guard Malcolm Brogdon.
Lakers would get: Kuzma, Brogdon
Nets would get: D’Angelo Russell, Rui Hachimura, Marvin Bagley III
Wizards would get: Ben Simmons, Jarred Vanderbilt, 2029 First-Round Pick (Lakers), 2030 First-Round Pick (Nets)
The writer argued that Kuzma and Brogdon, who averaged 22.2 and 14.9 points, respectively, in the 2023-24 season, will solve a lot of the Lakers’ depth issues.
“For the Lakers, these two players address two of their biggest needs—depth at forward and a reliable guard,” Leiva wrote on October 18. “Kuzma gives them the kind of scoring punch and defensive effort they need in the frontcourt, while Brogdon helps solidify the backcourt. Last season, the Lakers saw their playoff run cut short partly due to a lack of consistent depth behind their stars, and these additions could be the boost they need to contend for a title once again.”
Should Lakers Trade Russell?
The former All-Star guard made franchise history last year by making 223 three-pointers, surpassing the previous mark set by Nick Van Excel (183 in 1994-95). Russell’s sharpshooting ability has earned him a fan in new head coach JJ Redick, who predicted that the 10th-year guard would have “a career year” in the 2024-25 season.
“The thing that DLo and I talked about in terms of what a career year looks like, I think when people hear that they think of production, they think of counting stats,” Redick said on October 3, via Laker Nation.
“DLo and I are aligned that that’s not what that means. He has a unique skillset. We think he has a chance to have a high level impact on winning, he’s done that at different points of his career. We also feel like because of his personality and his voice, he can have a real impact in terms of leadership.”
Lakers Have Assets to Play With
The big positive aspect for the Lakers entering the 2024-25 season is the amount of tradable assets in their chest. Besides two tradeable first-rounders (2029 and 2031), the Lakers can use the likes of Russell, Hachimura, Austin Reaves, Max Christie, Gabe Vincent and even rookie Dalton Knecht in potential trades. While Knecht — the highly touted shooter from Tennessee — is unlikely to be moved, he could be the exact piece that a rival team could be looking for as part of a package for a superstar-level talent.
Yet, Reaves is arguably the Lakers’ most desired trade target despite his up-and-down 2023-24 campaign that saw him average 15.9 points, 5.5 assists and 4.3 rebounds. ESPN ranked the fouth-year guard a respectable No. 72 in their preseason rankings, ahead of established All-Stars such as Zach LaVine, Fred VanVleet and Mike Conley.
“Reaves is the Lakers’ best player outside of (LeBron) James and Hachimura and is on a terrific contract,” Bleacher Report’s Greg Swartz wrote on September 23. “Keeping him should be the goal, although giving him up as part of a trade for a star may be necessary in the end. Hachimura is in a similar position to Reaves as a good, starting-caliber player about to enter his prime on a team-friendly contract. Again, there’s no reason to shop the 26-year-old especially given his shooting ability, although he’d likely be part of a trade package for a star that the Lakers would listen to (or make) calls for.”
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