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Par Pierre-Andréa Fraile | Journaliste sportif
Having been eliminated from the playoffs, the Lakers have shown that their roster contains some fatal flaws in the race for the title. Their front office will be working hard this summer to rectify these shortcomings, and could close a huge deal involving seven players.
Although beneficial in many respects, the arrival of Luka Doncic during the season did not solve all their problems. Some would even argue that it only accentuated some of them. By sacrificing Anthony Davis, the Lakers have in any case depopulated an interior sector that was already the subject of criticism beforehand. LeBron James was quick to point this out after the team’s elimination from the playoffs.
The King and his teammates have already been sent on vacation, beaten by the Timberwolves in the first round of the postseason. Proof that the squad’s shortcomings meant that it could not reasonably claim the Larry O’Brien trophy this season. The time has now come to retool it so that it can truly compete in this race next year.
The colossal 7-player trade suggested to the Lakers
When discussing his plans for the Lakers in the summer market, Rob Pelinka indicated that he wanted to strengthen two positions as a priority, namely center and wing. This seems not to have escaped the attention of Bailey Bassett of ClutchPoints. Over the last few hours, the American journalist has come up with a major trade that would enable the Angelino GM to fulfill these two objectives, but not without some notable losses:
- The Los Angeles Lakers receive: Nic Claxton, Cam Johnson
- The Brooklyn Nets receive : Austin Reaves, Maxi Kleber, Dalton Knecht, Gabe Vincent, Jarred Vanderbilt, first-round pick 2031
Firstly, the hypothetical arrival of Nic Claxton would enable the Purple & Gold to significantly improve their protection of the rim, which has been so lacking of late.
A mobile center, he would also be an ideal partner for Doncic, a fan of this type of profile in the 5 position. He would also be joined in Los Angeles by Cam Johnson, who was already on the Lakers’ radar at the trade deadline. The Brooklyn winger is not only a solid defender, but also a formidable threat from behind the arc (39% this season).
That said, the price to be paid to attract these two fine recruits to the City of Angels would be substantial. Pelinka would have to get rid of Austin Reaves, as well as duty players like Gabe Vincent and Jarred Vanderbilt. All of this could deplete JJ Redick’s rotation, and potentially create more work for the franchise. What a headache!
