Three no-brainer Russell Westbrook trades for the Los Angeles Lakers
The Los Angeles Lakers add two sharpshooters for the cost of only one first-round.
Why the Lakers do it: There are a couple of reasons why this would be a good move for the Lakers. On the court, they would be adding two solid 3-point shooters, albeit they are far from perfect players. The Los Angeles Lakers’ situation with Westbrook is so dire that this would be a clear upgrade. Even though Josh Richardson has not been the same player ever since he departed the Miami Heat, he fits the profile of the type of player the Lakers so desperately need.
Although Richardson is not perceived as a marksman, he has a career 3-point shooting percentage of 37% as a 3 & D wing with size who can defend and hit open threes. He also shot 41% on catch-and-shoot threes during last year’s season, and throughout the first four games of the current season, he is shooting 44% on catch-and-shoot threes.
Meanwhile, McDermott is a sniper from three-point range, averaging a 41% shooting average throughout his career. He isn’t as good as a defender, but the Lakers should be able to flank him with the rest of their personnel. Meanwhile, from a management perspective, the deal is attractive because you would be getting two solid rotation players for a relatively cheap price and with minimal risk.
Also, they would have substantial luxury tax savings this season. More importantly, Richardson’s deal expires after this year, and McDermott would only have one more year on a manageable salary that could be easily moved. That is, they would still be able to open up cap space for the following offseason in order to sign other free agents if they so desired.
Why do the Spurs do it? The San Antonio Spurs kicked off their own rebuilding project this past summer when they decided to trade away their former star point guard, Dejounte Murray. For the Spurs, this is just another order of business in their quest to tank for Victor Wembanyama while receiving a modest asset in exchange for two players who are not part of their present or future plans.