Los Angeles Lakers: Potential Reggie Jackson Trades
There is little doubt that the Reggie Jackson” href=”http://hoopshabit.com/category/los-angeles-lakers/”>Los Angeles Lakers will be active leading up to the NBA’s trading deadline on February 19th (3 pm EST). The team has finally begun it’s rebuild, playing rookie Jordan Clarkson heavy minutes and plugging Ryan Kelly into the starting lineup (even if it’s at the wrong position).
Because of the change in philosophy, veterans on expiring deals (Jeremy Lin, Jordan Hill) and cheap contracts (Ed Davis) could be useful trading chips for teams willing to package young talent and/or draft assets in salary dump situations.
Regardless if the Lakers will be buyers or sellers at the deadline, it’s clear that they will be listening to all potential trade offers. Near the top of their list should be Oklahoma City Thunder point guard Reggie Jackson, who will likely bolt the franchise to sign a lucrative contract as a starter elsewhere in the off-season.
As Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders notes in a recent chat, the Thunder don’t typically let assets walk without something in return, and the Lakers will be an interested party in trying to acquire the promising guard.
"Yes, I believe the Dion Waiters move happened so that the Thunder could prepare for life after Reggie Jackson. He’s cheaper and it keeps them from paying the luxury tax. We’ve already seen that Waiters enters the game before Jackson lately and is playing more minutes, so it’s clear he’s taking over that sixth man role and seems to be the guy for them going forward. Sam Presti is a GM who doesn’t just let assets walk away for nothing, so he’d never just let Reggie Jackson go sign with another team in the summer and not match. I think he’ll trade him before the deadline and get something in return. I think the Knicks and Lakers are two teams that will show interest because they’d love to have Jackson as part of their long-term plan, but neither team has great assets to make a deal happen."
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Of course, Kennedy also acknowledges that the Lakers have little to offer in return for a player of Reggie Jackson’s caliber, adding multiple degrees of difficulty to make a deal happen.
However, we’ve seen Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak pull off creative deals before, and through the magic of the ESPN.com Trade Machine, we’ve come up with three potential trade proposals the Lakers could make.
Trade Scenario 1: The Hail Mary Attempt
Los Angeles Lakers receive: Kendrick Perkins, Nick Collison, Reggie Jackson
Oklahoma City Thunder receive: Jordan Hill, Ed Davis, Wayne Ellington, Ronnie Price
While a two-team deal in which the Lakers land Reggie Jackson is unlikely, both parties ultimately benefit from this deal.
The Lakers would take this trade in an instant because they swap a handful of veterans for an ideal young piece to spark the rebuilding process in Reggie Jackson.
Losing the combination of Jordan Hill and Ed Davis would certainly hurt, but it’s unclear how they fit into the future plans of the organization, and they are the two pieces that really make this trade worthwhile for Oklahoma City. Acquiring Kendrick Perkins and Nick Collison would be fairly meaningless, and both could be waived by the Lakers instead of wasting both parties’ time.
Oklahoma City would have to think long and hard about this deal, and it’s a high possibility that they’ve received significantly better offers for their young point guard.
However, this deal give the team excellent depth in the front court, an extra shooter to place around the Westbrook-Durant combo, and a backup point guard that won’t hurt them defensively. Jordan Hill provides rebounding and scoring off the bench on a flexible contract, making him the major piece going back to the Thunder, but Ed Davis would be an underrated addition as well.
The price for rim protection is a hefty one (see the Timofey Mozgov trade) and Davis certainly can protect the paint.
In the end, the Thunder probably would pass on this particular deal, but I don’t believe this trade is too far off.
Trade Scenario 2: The Three-Team Deal With A Side Of Cap Relief
Los Angeles Lakers receive: Kendrick Perkins, Nick Collison, Reggie Jackson
Oklahoma City Thunder receive: Brook Lopez, Ed Davis, Wayne Ellington
Brooklyn Nets receive: Steve Nash, Jeremy Lamb, Ryan Kelly
Recruiting a third team into the deal, most likely the Brooklyn Nets, makes a ton of sense. Brook Lopez would need to be moved in a deal, but the Nets have been fairly adamant about getting talent in return. However, as the deadline nears, cap relief should suffice if they can get some young players on cheap deals.
For the Lakers, they receive the same package as in the first deal. They give up slightly less, keeping a big trade chip in Jordan Hill, but end up tossing in Ryan Kelly, an intriguing power forward prospect that is being forced to play small forward under Byron Scott. The organization is high on Kelly, but if he’s what it takes to secure a player of Reggie Jackson’s caliber, they would be foolish to continue to hold onto him.
The Thunder get a more intriguing package than in the previous edition of the trade, but still get a nice combination of inside scoring, rim protection, and outside shooting. Lopez could end up being a long-term solution for the club at center, and the combination of Davis and Ellington checks off a few boxes on the “Playoff Depth” checklist.
It’s clear Jeremy Lamb is not a part of the future with this club, so including him doesn’t hurt much.
Brooklyn is the team that would push away from the table on this deal, unless they resign themselves to simply gaining a few young rotation players and a nice chunk of cap relief. Steve Nash is an asset only for his expiring contract, and Lamb and Kelly both project as role players at best going forward.
If there are no draft considerations attached to a potential deal, it’s hard to see the Nets pulling the trigger, specifically when the Lakers are landing the player that the Nets would want in return for Lopez.
On the flip side, the Nets are expecting a big return for a big man with injury issues, and are in a terrible position from a cap perspective. If they can get some draft picks in this deal, I think the sides would be a bit closer, but it’s unclear if either the Lakers or the Thunder would be interested in tossing in future first-rounders.
Ultimately, this trade doesn’t do enough for the Nets, who would need more assets or further cap relief.
Trade Scenario 3: The Blockbuster That Won’t Happen, But Should
Los Angeles Lakers receive: Kendrick Perkins, Reggie Jackson, Joe Johnson
Oklahoma City Thunder receive: Brook Lopez, Ed Davis, Ronnie Price, Wayne Ellington
Brooklyn Nets receive: Steve Nash, Jordan Hill, Jeremy Lin, Jeremy Lamb, Ryan Kelly
For the Lakers, this is a major move. They deal their two best big guys away for their point guard of the future, which would have been taboo a decade ago. However, the league has changed a bit, and neither of those two players have the star potential that Reggie Jackson has.
The biggest surprise with this trade is that the Lakers would take on Joe Johnson’s terrible contract, but if that is what it takes to land Jackson, why not?
Johnson’s deal would come off the books in time for the big free agency chase of 2016, which ultimately doesn’t hurt the Lakers ambitions to reload their roster from that pool of free agents.
If they were able to land Reggie Jackson, they’d potentially sport a lineup of Jackson, Julius Randle, and “Top-Five Pick X” going into that summer, which is a fairly attractive lineup for a max free agent to consider.
In the short-term, Joe Johnson certainly is not the player he was even a few years ago, but he’s a veteran on an expiring deal, and does nothing to hamstring the franchise going forward. Assuming the Lakers keep their 2015 first-rounder, winning a few extra games in 2016 because of veteran presence shouldn’t hurt too much.
The Thunder receive pretty much the same package as Scenario 2, so the decision would lie with the Nets to push this trade through. While the team is not getting back the best talent in the deal, they gain cap flexibility, a pair of young players, and a few potentially nice assets that they could choose to resign after the season in Jordan Hill and Jeremy Lin.
It’s hard to think that if given the opportunity to get out of two massive mistakes (Lopez and Johnson’s contracts) the franchise would let it pass by.
Of course, a deal of this magnitude, one that swaps 12 players and multiple stars, rarely ever happens. However, there are clear benefits for all teams involved if this trade did go down.
Anyone have Mitch Kupchak’s number?
Note: None of these trades have been reported, proposed, or even rumored. All trades in this piece are speculative in nature, and should be viewed as such.
Have an idea for a trade? Post it in the comments below!