The Los Angeles Lakers have had a horrendous season and will need to make moves in the 2022 offseason. Despite having a roster with three stars and some solid role players, Los Angeles sits in ninth place in the Western Conference.
LeBron James has been the only consistent presence for the Lakers, but even he has missed 17 games due to various injuries and is dealing with an ongoing knee issue. Anthony Davis has missed a ton of time this season and is currently out for another month or so, if he returns at all.
Russell Westbrook has constantly been in the lineup but has not meshed well with the roster. The 2017 NBA MVP's inability to shoot consistently has been an atrocious fit with James, who thrives with shooters around him. James and Westbrook are both ball-dominant players, contributing to their stagnant offense.
On Tuesday night, Los Angeles lost to the Dallas Mavericks, dropping their record to 27-34. The all-around inconsistency was shown in this game, especially in their energy and effort. The Lakers went down by 21 points, roared back to take the lead, but then folded down the stretch.
With this season looking like a lost cause, many are looking ahead to the offseason to shake up the roster after no trades were made ahead of the 2022 deadline. Here are frameworks for two trades to fix the Lakers in the 2022 offseason.
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Lakers 2022 offseason trades
2. Lakers trade Talen Horton-Tucker, Kendrick Nunn, 2027 first-round pick to the Pacers for Buddy Hield
The Lakers were about to pull the trigger on a Buddy Hield deal last offseason but changed their minds to acquire Westbrook at the last minute. Hield would have been a natural fit, providing James and Davis with a 3-point sniper.
For his career, Hield is averaging 15.9 points while shooting 40 percent from 3. The Lakers again looked into acquiring him ahead of the deadline, but the Sacramento Kings dealt him alongside Tyrese Haliburton to the Indiana Pacers in a trade for Domantas Sabonis.
Hield has been awesome for the Pacers in a small sample size, but it is not clear what their future plans are for him. They are in the midst of a rebuild, so acquiring two young players and a draft pick could be enticing.
Talen Horton-Tucker has shown flashes of what he can be throughout his career. He is a solid defender and scores well at the rim but lacks a consistent outside jump shot. This season, Horton-Tucker is averaging 9.5 points while shooting 41.5 percent from the field and 27.7 percent from 3.
He would be a solid young wing to pair with Haliburton. Horton-Tucker's defense and improved offensive skills could slot him a quality spot in their rotation.
On the other hand, Kendrick Nunn has yet to play this season due to injury. However, Nunn is a young guard who has proven his scoring ability in this league. Last season, Nunn averaged 14.6 points while shooting 48.5 percent from the field and 38.1 percent from downtown.
Nunn has a player option for next season, which he will likely accept. Indiana would also be acquiring a first-round pick in this trade, which could be valuable as the future is in question for the Lakers in 2027.
If Los Angeles can pull off a Hield trade (there could be other moving parts), he would instantly fit in with the roster and have a significant impact.
1. Lakers trade Russell Westbrook, two second-round picks to the Knicks for Evan Fournier, Alec Burks, Nerlens Noel
While Russell Westbrook has been labeled by the media as the problem, it doesn't all fall on him. Westbrook's fit didn't make sense from the get-go, so there is a lot of blame to go around here. Given what has happened, not many teams will be interested in acquiring him due to his $47 million salary next season, assuming he exercises his player option.
However, the New York Knicks are a team to watch for him. New York has struggled this season and could look to take on the expiring contract for role players. Evan Fournier, Alec Burks, and Nerlens Noel are not a part of New York's future and were rumored to be in trade talks at the deadline.
Westbrook could have a bounce-back season with a different roster around him. He would also help them sell tickets, and his expiring contract would not do them harm in the long run. Acquiring two second-round picks would also sweeten the pot for New York.
For the Lakers, they get three solid role players for the roster next season. Fournier is averaging 14.6 points while shooting 42.4 percent from the field and 39.6 percent from behind the arc. His shooting and shot-creating ability would fill a much-needed hole for the Lakers.
Alec Burks would give Los Angeles another weapon. He is averaging 10.9 points along with 1.1 steals and shooting 38.5 percent from 3-land
Nerlens Noel is mainly in this trade to help make the salaries match, but he could be a viable backup center option. He doesn't average many points at only 3.4 per game but rebounds well with 5.6 per game and blocks 1.2 shots per game. Noel would be a good defensive center off the bench, but Los Angeles would need good spacing around him for the offense to flow.
The Lakers have a ton of choices to make in the playoffs to get back to title contention, but these trades would send them in the right direction.
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