Los Angeles Lakers: 3 potential blockbuster draft-day trades in 2017
By Simon Smith
Devin Booker, Phoenix Suns
If he isn’t one already, then Booker is basically knocking on the door of stardom. Still just 20, Booker just completed his second season with the Suns, and improved markedly as the season progressed. Overall, he averaged 22.1 points and 3.4 assists in 35.0 minutes per game. But from Jan. 3, Booker took off.
Over his final 44 games, Booker averaged 24.8 points, 3.6 assists and 3.5 rebounds. Notably, he shot 39.4 percent from three-point range and 83.9 percent from the free throw line.
Again, he is just 20.
But the exclamation point in his sophomore season came during a late season road game against the Boston Celtics. Playing 45 minutes, Booker scored an astonishing 70 points, converting on 21-of-40 attempts from the field and 24-of-26 attempts from the foul line. This was just the 11th time in league history that the 70-point barrier had been reached.
In order to satisfy the Suns, the Lakers will require a third party to join in the transaction. In this instance, the Chicago Bulls have an incredible asset in the form of Jimmy Butler. A two-time All-Star, Butler averaged 23.9 points, 6.2 rebounds and 5.5 assists per game this season, cementing his place as one of the preeminent two-way players in the game.
While losing Butler would be a significant loss, his future in Chicago has been the subject of much speculation over the past 12 months. During a midseason episode of The Lowe Post podcast hosted by Zach Lowe, ESPN‘s Bulls beat reporter Nick Friedell noted the following on Butler’s future:
"“There is a split in the Bulls’ front office as to whether they want to build around Jimmy or not… I’ve never been more convinced that if they got the right pieces, let’s say it’s not Boston but it’s another team, if they got the right pieces back, I think they’d move Jimmy today. I think they realize that this team just isn’t good enough.”"
With this in mind, this deal presents a great opportunity for the Bulls to garner some significant assets in return.
Not only do the Bulls receive the No. 2 overall pick, they also acquire Brandon Ingram, the No. 2 overall pick in 2016, and a future first round selection from the Suns. The added cost of jumpstarting the rebuild for the Bulls is taking on the remaining three years of Timofey Mozgov’s $64 million contract.
For their part, not only are the Suns receiving Butler, they also hold the No. 4 overall pick in this year’s draft. In addition to other emerging prospects such as Marquese Chriss and Dragan Bender, incorporating a talent such as Butler with his prime years ahead of him simply represents an exciting era for the Suns.
Related Story: Lakers - 5 options for pick No. 2 in 2017 NBA Draft
In addition to Booker, the Lakers would receive the No. 16 overall pick from the Bulls, therefore allowing the Lakers to still have some chance of selecting a potential piece of their ongoing rebuild in this year’s draft.
Also, they would receive veteran Tyson Chandler for financial purposes, with the added bonus of Chandler’s current deal expiring one year earlier than Mozgov’s. Despite being limited to 47 games, Chandler still managed to average 8.4 points and 11.5 rebounds, thus demonstrating he would still have something to offer this up-and-coming Lakers squad.