The Lakers are off to a surprisingly decent start under new head coach JJ Redick. That’s not to say this isn’t a flawed team. LeBron James is about to turn 40, Anthony Davis is seemingly always an injury risk, Rui Hachimura is inconsistent, and D’Angelo Russell is — at this point — a very mediocre basketball player.
There’s also the bench — which is one of the worst in basketball. The group featuring Jaxson Hayes, Gabe Vincent, Max Christie, Dalton Knecht, and Cam Reddish won’t be good enough to catapult the Lakers into real contention. As such, trades need to be made.
The Lakers have some salaries they can move along with two unprotected first-round picks. These are precious assets and ones that probably should be held onto in the post-James era. Alas, one can see LA moving one — if not both to improve the team as long as James is playing at this elite level.
Here are three players that could help the Lakers right away.
Brook Lopez — Milwaukee Bucks
Lopez fits the bill on two fronts. He can space the floor and credibly shoot threes at a decent rate. Secondly, he can protect the rim quite well. There’s a scenario where he and Davis could stagger minutes. It would enable the Lakers to always have a rim protector out on the court. The Bucks are currently in the midst of a very tough stretch. Without much in the way of future assets, the Lakers could presumably flip a first-round pick Milwaukee’s way — though sending a first-rounder for a soon-to-be 37-year-old center almost sounds criminal.
Dennis Schroder — Brooklyn Nets
Another ex-Laker, Schroder is averaging nearly 20 PPG for the Nets this year. Brooklyn has been outperforming expectations early. Having said that, it’s still a team that will likely want to collect assets rather than compete for anything of consequence.
Reuniting with Schroder makes sense. Though he’s a mercurial player, Schroder plays with tons of energy on both ends of the floor. He can also score in crunch time — and has no fear of the big moment. He’d immediately be a fixture with the five-man group that ends games for this team. Schroder would probably be inserted as the team’s starting point guard, too.
Isaiah Stewart — Detroit Pistons
Detroit has a logjam at center. The 23-year-old Stewart has shown flashes of being a very good player. At only 6’8″, he’s got a sturdy frame and exceptionally long arms. It’s led to Stewart averaging 7.3 RPG and 1.4 BPG in only 22.5 minutes (through Nov. 11). Former a first-round pick, this is the sort of talent the Lakers could theoretically give up an asset for. He’s young, athletic, plays hard, and you could envision a scenario where he can play alongside Davis in certain situations.
