Los Angeles Lakers: 3 potential trade proposals for Paul George

Trade No. 2

Okay, so maybe throwing in Zubac wasn’t quite enough to make this deal. Instead, maybe the Thunder are looking for some draft compensation to get this trade done. The Lakers don’t have a ton to offer in that department, but that’s a different discussion.

So instead of Zubac, the Lakers toss in the 2020 first round pick. That gives Oklahoma City a Sixth Man of the Year candidate, a potential starter at the 4-spot and future draft assets to continue dealing or building at a later date. Not the greatest haul either, but they only have so much bargaining power at this point in the process.

Meanwhile, the Lakers get their man. George is now wearing the purple and gold. On top of that, the Thunder toss in a 2018 second round pick to outweigh the loss of the future first-rounder. It’s not like that pick will be all that high, so it’s a risk Sam Presti is willing to take. Based on what we’ve seen from the Lakers’ scouting staff, though, they can make it pay off.

This is not very different from the initial proposal. It just gives the Thunder draft compensation instead of a backup center, which may or may not be better in the long run. It also allows the Lakers to continue developing Zubac, although losing that pick could be costly depending on where they are in a couple of years.