The Los Angeles Lakers are reportedly interested in trading their 2016 NBA Draft pick. Which stars might be realistically attainable under such circumstances?
The Los Angeles Lakers are in unfamiliar territory. There are three young players with immense potential on the roster—restricted free agent Jordan Clarkson, point guard D’Angelo Russell, and power forward Julius Randle—but lack the necessary patience to execute a progressive rebuild.
With Jim Buss placing pressure on himself to return the Lakers to prominence as quickly as possible, that rebuild may end before it begins.
According to Colin Cowherd of Fox Sports, the Lakers are hell-bent on trading their 2016 NBA Draft pick.
"I've been told by 2 separate sources -- even if the Lakers get the No. 1 pick, they're trading it." - @ColinCowherdhttps://t.co/kHG6mV9TPP
— Herd w/Colin Cowherd (@TheHerd) May 3, 2016
That’d be a monumental development, to say the very least.
This all must be prefaced by stating that the Lakers’ 2016 NBA Draft pick is Top 3 protected. In other words, if the Lakers—currently in possession of the second-best lottery odds—fall out of the Top 3, the rights to the pick will transfer to the Philadelphia 76ers.
The upside: if the Lakers keep the draft pick, then one of the three players who are viewed as future stars—Dragan Bender, Brandon Ingram, and Ben Simmons—would be available to the prospective trade partner.
All three of those players, along with upside wing Jaylen Brown, complete point guard Kris Dunn, and rising star Jamal Murray, are highly regarded by scouts across the NBA. That creates six attractive opportunities for teams to, potentially, land a young cornerstone of the organization.
The question is, which stars might be realistically available for the Lakers to acquire with a draft pick and some combination of Jordan Clarkson, Julius Randle, and D’Angelo Russell?
Next: A Realistic Swap
Carmelo Anthony, New York Knicks
Position: Small Forward
Age: 31 (5/29/1984)
2016-17 Salary: $24,559,380
Slash Line: .434/.339/.829
Season Averages: 35.1 MPG, 21.8 PPG, 7.7 RPG, 4.2 APG, 0.9 SPG, 1.5 3PM
The New York Knicks have a 20-year-old rising star in Kristaps Porzingis and a soon-to-be 32-year-old franchise player in Carmelo Anthony. There’s very little middle-ground to be found on the roster, which makes it entirely conceivable that the Knicks would be open to making this trade.
The question is, would the Los Angeles Lakers be interested in this trade?
It’s believable that Carmelo Anthony could be had for a lower price than the other players on this list due to his age. The nine-time All-Star would certainly help the Lakers make an immediate improvement, however, and could help attract talent in free agency.
One could make the case that it wouldn’t be worth trading the No. 3 pick for Anthony, but if the Lakers are as determined as they seem, this is one of the more plausible options.
Anthony has a scoring title and a career average of 24.9 points per game. He’s a dynamic player who can post up, space the floor, attack off the bounce, and get out in transition, and played at a high level defensively during the 2015-16 season, holding opponents to 42.1 percent shooting from the field.
As realistically available star-caliber options go, Anthony is one of the best—if he’d be willing to waive his no-trade clause, of course.
Next: An Ideal Scenario
Jimmy Butler, Chicago Bulls
Position: Shooting Guard
Age: 26 (9/14/1989)
2016-17 Salary: $17,552,209
Slash Line: .454/.312/.832
Season Averages: 36.9 MPG, 20.9 PPG, 5.3 RPG, 4.8 APG, 1.6 SPG, 1.0 3PM
If the Los Angeles Lakers are going to trade their 2016 NBA Draft pick, there would be few players more ideal to land than Jimmy Butler. The Chicago Bulls star is on a bargain of a contract, with under $17.6 million coming his way in 2016-17, and four more years of a similar pay structure with a player option for 2019-20.
According to K.C. Johnson of The Chicago Tribune, the Bulls publicly admitted to being open to trading Butler.
Wow. Asked about committing to Butler, Forman said, "We have to explore all options. With that said, Jimmy has had a fantastic year."
— K.C. Johnson (@KCJHoop) April 14, 2016
Butler has three more guaranteed years on his contract, with his highest salary being $19,841,624 million in 2018-19—an incredible bargain for a player of his caliber. He’s been selected to the All-Star Game in consecutive seasons, has made multiple All-Defensive Team appearances, and will only be 29 years old during the 2018-19 season.
Butler may or may not be the No. 1 star Los Angeles is looking for, but he’s a relentless worker who’s a lockdown defender and a genuinely lethal secondary scoring option.
It’s worth noting that Chris Mannix of The Vertical recently reported that Kevin Durant would only sign with the Boston Celtics if Danny Ainge made a serious splash in free agency. One of the players whom Mannix listed as one of Durant’s preferred future teammates: Butler.
With or without Durant, Butler could be the key to a much brighter future in Los Angeles.
Next: Next Dominant Lakers Big Man?
DeMarcus Cousins, Sacramento Kings
Position: Center
Age: 25 (8/13/1990)
2016-17 Salary: $16,957,900
Slash Line: .451/.333/.718
Season Averages: 34.6 MPG, 26.9 PPG, 11.5 RPG, 2.4 ORPG, 3.3 APG, 1.6 SPG, 1.4 BPG, 1.1 3PM
Strictly discussing his skill set, there isn’t an area in which DeMarcus Cousins is less than above-average. He finished the 2015-16 season in the Top 5 in scoring and rebounding, and ranked No. 1 amongst centers in steals, No. 2 in assists and 3-point field goals made, and No. 12 in blocks on a per game basis.
According to Ailene Voisin of The Sacramento Bee, Cousins’ production isn’t enough to keep him off of the trading block.
"A year ago, Cousins was untouchable. A year later, the sense within the organization is Divac is tempted by the prospect of pairing his center with his personally selected coach but that he has become increasingly frustrated by his center’s ongoing issues and, for the first time, is willing to test the market for the two-time All-Star."
Cousins has yet to make a postseason appearance with the Sacramento Kings, and that alone is reason for general manager Vlade Divac to weigh his options. Cousins has also been viewed as a player who can rub his coaches and teammates the wrong way.
If head coach Luke Walton believes he can get the most out of Cousins, it simply wouldn’t make sense to not consider this golden opportunity.
Cousins is, arguably, the best center in the NBA based on talent and production alone. According to Basketball-Reference.com, Cousins’s 2015-16 campaign saw him become the first player to average at least 25.0 points, 11.0 rebounds, 1.5 steals, and 1.0 block since Karl Malone and Hakeem Olajuwon did it in 1993-94.
Aside from Cousins, Malone, and Olajuwon, only two other players have achieved those statistics: David Robinson in 1990-91 and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in 1977-78.
Next: Mutual Interest?
DeMar DeRozan, Toronto Raptors
Position: Shooting Guard
Age: 26 (8/7/1989)
2016-17 Salary: $9,500,000 (Player Option)
Slash Line: .446/.338/.850
Season Averages: 35.9 MPG, 23.5 PPG, 4.5 RPG, 4.0 APG, 1.0 SPG, 0.6 3PM
The Los Angeles Lakers have been linked to Toronto Raptors shooting guard DeMar DeRozan for quite some time. The Compton, California native has established himself as one of the better shooting guards in the NBA, and has the local ties to Los Angeles county to create the belief that the Lakers will be interested in signing him.
If the Lakers are genuinely interested in acquiring DeRozan and another star via free agency, then a sign-and-trade would be the route follow.
This isn’t a vote of confidence in such a move, but instead an acknowledgement that it’s possible. Toronto would return a Top 3 2016 NBA Draft pick, which would complement the Top 10 selection it receives via the Denver Nuggets.
If this is how the Raptors lose the franchise player, Masai Ujiri would have to call it a long-term win.
As for the Lakers, this would likely hinge on another star free agent verbally committing to the team based on the success of this hypothetical trade. It’s hard to imagine DeRozan being the player who draws players such as Kevin Durant or Al Horford to Los Angeles, but if that’s possible, it’d be worth exploring.
If a second star can’t be acquired, then Los Angeles would be better off signing DeRozan and keeping the Top 3 pick. This is, however, an option.
Next: Rated PG-13
Paul George, Indiana Pacers
Position: Small Forward
Age: 26 (5/2/1990)
2016-17 Salary: $18,100,000
Slash Line: .418/.371/.860
Season Averages: 34.8 MPG, 23.1 PPG, 7.0 RPG, 4.1 APG, 1.9 SPG, 2.6 3PM
Paul George, like Jimmy Butler, is a star two-way player on an unspeakably affordable contract. He’ll make just $18.1 million in 2016-17, $19.3 million in 2017-18, and has a player option for $20.5 million in 2018-19.
The sad reality for Larry Bird‘s team is that the Indiana Pacers have never been a haven for free agents. That spells trouble for George—a star in his prime on a team that lacks the talent to contend in the present day.
Bill Simmons of HBO reports that the Los Angeles Lakers are ready to make a serious run at acquiring George during the summer of 2016.
Also hearing that the Lakers want to make a BIG run at Paul George with their top-3 pick plus other stuff. (Not that they'd get him...)
— Bill Simmons (@BillSimmons) May 4, 2016
In his first full season back from a compound fracture in his right leg, George firmly reestablished himself as one of the league’s elite players. He made his third career All-Star Game, is slated to receive a third All-NBA selection, and should add a third All-Defensive Team nod to his resume, as well.
In other words, George is one of the most revered players in the NBA on both ends of the floor.
Whether or not George can be the No. 1 star on a championship team is up for debate, but he’s worth the price Los Angeles would pay to acquire him. His contract has two more guaranteed and friendly years on it, and he set career-best marks in points, assists, steals, and 3-point field goals made per game in 2015-16.
If his two Eastern Conference Finals appearances aren’t enough to prove it, then George’s average of 27.3 points on a slash line of .455/.419/.953 during the 2016 NBA Playoffs should establish his status as a proven postseason performer.
The question is, would the Lakers be willing to offer a Top 3 draft pick and, potentially, both Jordan Clarkson and Julius Randle to land the Palmdale, California native?
More hoops habit: Which NBA teams could realistically trade for Paul George?
If so, George could make his long-awaited return to Southern California in glorious style.