D'Angelo Russell to the Nets as Lakers Look to Reload
Well, the 2017 NBA offseason may already be more exciting that the 2017 NBA Finals. Magic Johnson and the LA Lakers have traded D’Angelo Russell and Timofy Mozgov to the Brooklyn Nets for Brooke Lopez and the 27th pick in the upcoming NBA Draft, just one day after the Sixers and Celtics finalized a trade involving the 1st pick. No one seemed to see this coming, even whoever runs the Lakers website—they kept a promotion for Russell on their site for 2 hours.
The response in Laker Land has been loud, but very different depending who you ask. Most fans were surprised, and many didn’t seem to understand why the team would be parting with such a bright young talent. A poll on our Twitter @SLAPmediaLA has 56% of the fans giving the trade a grade of WTF, after over 400 responses.
We’re here to let you know why the trade isn’t as bad as it seems for the Lakeshow. No, Brooke Lopez is not the big-man of our future, but was D-LO really going to be our superstar point guard going forward? Some fans would say yes, but many on Twitter and around the city don’t have confidence in Russell’s ability to lead a team or lock up the league’s elite guards. Many sportswriters believe that this move is the beginning of a masterplan to add both Paul George and Lebron James, and did anyone think Russell would be as good as either one of those guys? Doubt it.
Paul George and LeBron James may both be in purple-and-gold in the near future.
Losing one of the league’s best point guard prospects is not what’s good about this trade, though—at least not for the Lakers. The only reason this trade even had to happen is because last offseason made Timofy Mozgov the luckiest human being on planet Earth. His four-year $64 million deal was one of Mitch Kupchak’s last moves as GM, and it left the Lakers with little to no money to add premier free agents in the next few years.
His contract is now off the books, and Brooke Lopez’s deal is up after next season. That transfer of debt gives the Lakers enough money to be in the hunt for 2018’s top free agents, which could include LeBron James, Demarcus Cousins and Joel Embiid among other. Let’s make one thing clear, though. If Kupchak doesn’t gives Mozgov that deal, we might be talking about the Lakers adding one of those guys WITH Russell. Thanks a lot Mitch.
Timofy Mozgov and his huge contract are the reason that the Lakers had to unload D'Angelo Russell
So that’s how the D-LO trade helps the Lakers land LeBron (maybe), but what about Paul George? Lakers Nation reports that the team has already offered the Indiana Pacers either Julius Randle or Jordan Clarkson plus the 27th and 28th pick in the draft in return for the 4-time all-star. The Cavaliers and Celtics are also reported to be in the mix for the 27-year-old swingman.
For the Lakers, it’s hard to say which of the two, Clarkson or Randle, would be the better fit to stay on the team. Contract wise, Clarkson would be more ideal. The Lakers signed the 25-year-old guard to a 4-year $50 million deal last offseason, while Randle is up for an extension this summer. Randle seems to be the more unique player with his versatile skill-set and a new and improved physique coming into the season, but his expiring contract may be enough to keep the Pacers from being interested in the former 4th overall pick.
One party that has to be happy about this is Lonzo Ball and his family’s company Big Baller Brand. As noted in our previous article, the Lakers make the most business sense for the UCLA standout, and they have the be happy with the gaping hole at starting point guard for the Lakers. Russell’s departure all but seals the deal on the the Lakers taking Ball with the second pick in Thursday’s draft. The hybrid-guard tandem of Russell and Ball would have been fun to watch—as both have the skillset and shooting to play both guard positions—but unfortunately it will never be more than a what-if scenario for Laker fans to discuss.
Lonzo Ball, possibly the biggest benefactor of the Lakers' most recent trade.
Trading away D’Angelo Russell this early in his career is nobody’s ideal scenario, but it’s what had to happen if the Lakers want to contend with the future super-teams that seem to increasingly be the only ones capable of winning an NBA championship. It probably won’t make this year any funner to watch, but the 2017-18 season wasn’t going to be “the one” anyways. If this move accelerates the team’s journey back to greatness, it’s safe to say that Laker fans will forget about what could have been if D-LO stayed in LA.
Take a look down memory lane with D'Angelo Russell's top-10 plays in a Laker uniform.
