To the disappointment of LeBron James, the Los Angeles Lakers did not trade for Kyrie Irving, who was shipped to the Dallas Mavericks in the first blockbuster before Thursday's NBA trade deadline.
We can litigate whether the Lakers actually dodged a bullet by missing out on Kyrie in another space. Either way, their front office now has four days to seek less-controversial upgrades to a 25-29 club that currently sits four games out of the No. 4 seed in the West with 28 games left in the 2022-23 regular season.
Here are a few options for Rob Pelinka to consider (you know, assuming he's reading this).
Lakers best trade options after Kyrie to the Mavs
4) Russell Westbrook to the Chicago Bulls for Zach LaVine
If the Lakers are committed to adding a third star, LaVine may be the best option left. Bradley Beal's contract is too outrageous, Damian Lillard isn't going anywhere, DeMar DeRozan doesn't space the floor around LeBron and Anthony Davis, and Chris Paul is 37 and starting to show it.
LaVine, a former UCLA Bruins star, is averaging 23.6 points per game this season and is a career 38.5% three-point shooter. He would infuse the Lakers with spacing and dynamism on the wing.
His five-year, $215 million contract is nearly as worrisome as Beal's, but at least he'll only be 32 when it completes — one year younger than DeRozan is now. The Lakers don't have cap space to add a max player this summer, so they can think of LaVine as a splashy free agent signing and commit to him as a fulcrum of the post-LeBron era.
The Lakers could send out Westbrook's $47.1 million expiring contract, an unprotected 2029 first-round pick, and maybe a top-8 protected 2027 pick. The Bulls could throw in the expiring deals of Goran Dragic and Javonte Green to make the money work.
Chicago would probably want to include USC alum Nikola Vucevic, but the Lakers should make that a nonstarter or find a third team to take him. Vucevic is a fine player, but AD is finally playing full-time center alongside two big forwards (LeBron and Rui Hachimura). The Lakers should not be adding starting-caliber centers that would force Davis back to the 4.
3) Russell Westbrook to the Utah Jazz for Malik Beasley, Mike Conley Jr.
The Lakers should part with Westbrook. He's somewhat salvaged his Los Angeles tenure by (reluctantly) accepting a Sixth Man role and putting up solid stats (15.7/6.2/7.5) and not being a toxic distraction, but his inefficiency (45.6% eFG), questionable decision-making and inability to space the floor renders him often unplayable in crunch-time. When he does play late in games, he often — not always — kills the Lakers. That won't improve in the playoffs.
To make things more awkward, LeBron's public advocacy for a Kyrie trade (which would've included Russ) is a tacit acknowledgment that the Westbrook deal — which LeBron orchestrated — was a mistake (LeBron wanted the Lakers to trade Westbrook for John Wall at last season's trade deadline, which Westbrook is aware of. Russ also knows the Lakers nearly dealt him before training camp for Myles Turner and Buddy Hield. In July, Westbrook's ex-agent implied Russ wanted a change of scenery.)
Kyrie represented the best-case scenario for the Lakers as a return for Russ, in terms of pure basketball talent. Still, trading Russ would be addition-by-subtraction.
Of the feasible Westbrook frameworks that don't include an All-Star — Jakob Poeltl/Josh Richardson, Terry Rozier/Gordon Hayward — the Lakers' most productive routes leads to Utah or Toronto. The Jazz are looking to pivot into tank mode and offload useful role players. Los Angeles could ask for Malik Beasley and Mike Conley Jr. for Russ and the 2029 pick.
Both Beasley and Conley Jr. are career 38% three-point shooters. Beasley is 26 with a $16.5 million team option for 2023-24. Conley Jr., at 35, is posting 9.2 assists against 2.1 turnovers per-36 minutes. Paying him $24.4 million next season will sting, but that's the cost of blowing the Russ trade. Perhaps Pelinka can persuade Danny Ainge to accept protections on the pick or throw in second-rounders for good measure.
I highly doubt the Lakers could finagle Jarred Vanderbilt considering the league-wide interest in him, though that would be ideal.
The Jazz and Lakers have reportedly had “exploratory” conversations about this transaction, so don't be shocked if it goes down. In this scenario, the Lakers hang onto a pick for another move (more on that later).
2) Russell Westbrook to the Toronto Raptors for Fred VanVleet, Gary Trent Jr.
Masaj Ujiri — always dangerous to deal with — would probably demand two unprotected picks, Austin Reaves and/or Max Christie in this deal.
But, if the Lakers can squeeze a few protections onto one of the picks, a return package of VanVleet and Trent Jr. could be a major difference-maker. Steady Freddy would be an upgrade in the backcourt — Dennis Schroder would become maybe the best backup PG in the league — with loads of big-game experience and an acceptable $22.8 million player option for next season. Trent Jr., meanwhile, is 24 and represents the type of two-way wing the Lakers could use. He has an $18.7 million player option for 2023-24.
Both players shoot in the mid-to-high 30s from downtown and average about 18 PPG. If either or both opt for free agency, the Lakers could theoretically exceed the cap to retain them.
Toronto would have to throw in Otto Porter Jr. or Thaddeus Young for salary purposes.
If the Lakers keep a pick though…
1) Lonnie Walker IV and Patrick Beverley for Bojan Bogdanovic
…They could package it with expiring contracts of Beverley and Walker IV for Bogdanovic (Pelinka should try and offload Damian Jones — who never plays and is on a two-year deal — in any transaction).
Bogdanovic is a seamless fit in Los Angeles. Neither the Lakers nor anybody else should be thinking “championship or bust” on a trade. They should be thinking, “does this move increase our chances of making a playoff run?” In that sense, Bogdanovic moves the needle.
Even after adding Hachimura, the Lakers need a floor-warping large wing. Bogdanovic is 6'7, 226, averaging 21.4 PPG and 41.9% from deep, and is a more respectable defender than casual fans might realize. He'll earn $20 million in 2023-24 and $19 million in 2024-25 — a relatively team-friendly contract that aligns with LeBron and AD's timeline. (Used ESPN's trade machine here because Fanspo was incorrect about his trade eligibility, btw).
The Pistons insist they're happy to keep Bojan around through next season unless they get an unprotected pick. It's a high, but fair, price. The Lakers have until 2029 to get the pick back, and — let's remember — they will have other first-rounders before then that simply aren't eligible to be traded at the moment. Pelinka should pull the trigger.
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