After months of speculation, the Los Angeles Lakers decided to make a bold move ahead of the NBA trade deadline on Thursday. Magic Johnson and Rob Pelinka chose to pull the trigger on a blockbuster deal to acquire Isaiah Thomas from the Cleveland Cavaliers and clear a considerable amount of cap space as the result of the departure of Larry Nance Jr. and Jordan Clarkson.
Once the dust settled after the trade deadline had passed, Shaquille O'Neal praised his former team by saying the Lakers had the best outcome of any team on Thursday on TNT's Inside The NBA.
"I think the @Lakers had the best day."
–@SHAQ pic.twitter.com/8weRQduQ9Q
— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) February 9, 2018
At this point, it's hard to argue with Shaq's stance that the Lakers made the best move before the trade deadline. In one trade, the Lakers brass set the team up to be a force in NBA free agency this summer with Paul George and LeBron James legitimate targets for the team.
With the cap space created and other moves that can be made in the offseason, the Lakers will have enough money to go after both of those superstars. Although no one knows what LeBron or George will do come July, Johnson and Pelinka now have the means to lure these free agents to Los Angeles which was their plan all along.
In the meantime, the team has the opportunity to give Thomas a bit of a tryout in Los Angeles. Thomas has wanted to be a Laker for years, and now he's got a chance to prove his worth to the team. If it doesn't work out, the two sides can part ways with Thomas set to be a free agent this summer.
Along with making a statement before the trade deadline, Los Angeles has been on a roll as of late with the team winning 12 of their last 16 games. The Lakers are starting to find their groove as they have been dominant on their home floor (eight straight wins) and will look to head into the All-Star break with the prospect of possibly making a run at a playoff spot.
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