Despite winning 4 of their last 5 games with the league’s 6th best offense, 10th best defense, and 6th best net rating, the Los Angeles Lakers suddenly have a serious Deandre Ayton problem to fix before the trade deadline.
Last night marked the third straight night JJ Redick had to pull Deandre Ayton from the court in the fourth quarter for not playing hard or making the right plays. It’s becoming increasingly obvious Ayton is not the answer. What the Lakers need at starting center is the prototypical modern NBA big who can anchor the defense with his mobility and shot blocking and open up the offense with his ability to space the floor horizontally and vertically.
Most analysts predict the Lakers will treat this as a gap year and only make minor moves at the deadline, saving their firepower until next summer when they could have 3 first round picks and $100 million in cap space.
Frankly, anybody who’s been paying attention to how the Dodgers operate should find the idea of Mark Walter willingly accepting a gap year with a healthy Luka Doncic, LeBron James, and Austin Reaves as ridiculous.
Right now, the Lakers are beginning once again to look like a team only 2 or 3 elite role players away from being a legitimate championship contender with superstars Luka Doncic, LeBron James, and Austin Reaves all healthy.
Starting tomorrow, JJ Redick should start Jaxson Hayes at center and bench Deandre Ayton. We would be smart to go to switch everything small ball to backup Hayes until we get a new starting center at the trade deadline.
If Mark Walter wants to run the Lakers like the Dodgers, he can turn LA’s 1 first round pick into 4 by trading their 2031 unprotected first to OKC for 3 protected firsts, including a 2027 pick to free up our 2026 and 2028 picks.
By expanding their draft capital, the Lakers can accelerate their rebuild around Luka Doncic and finally fixing their broken center rotation which was never replaced after winning the 2020 NBA bubble championship.
The Pelicans want 2 first round picks for Herb Jones. The Jazz reportedly want 3 first round picks for Walker Kessler. Expanding their draft capital is exactly the kind of outside-the-box thinking the Lakers have badly needed.
Redick suddenly has the Lakers playing like a team worth going all-in on. The Lakers right now are only an elite defensive starting and backup center and quality 3&D starting small forward away from being a contender.
Imagine whom the Lakers could acquire before the trade deadline with 4 first round picks and over $65 million in matching salaries. Expect the Mark Walter Lakers to start making moves like the Mark Walter Dodgers.
Comments