{"id":49242,"date":"2023-02-09T18:08:11","date_gmt":"2023-02-09T23:08:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/?p=49242"},"modified":"2023-02-09T18:08:11","modified_gmt":"2023-02-09T23:08:11","slug":"the-los-angeles-lakers-redeem-themselves-at-the-trade-deadline","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2023\/02\/09\/the-los-angeles-lakers-redeem-themselves-at-the-trade-deadline\/","title":{"rendered":"The Los Angeles Lakers Redeem Themselves at the Trade Deadline"},"content":{"rendered":"

In the past 24 hours, the Los Angeles Lakers have been transformed from a bottom-feeder team to potential postseason contenders.\u00a0 General Manager Rob Pelinka pulled off an absolute masterclass of moves yesterday and today, acquiring a plethora of talent who now fit like gloves alongside the star-studded duo of <\/span>LeBron James<\/b><\/a> and <\/span>Anthony Davis<\/b><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Los Angeles Lakers Redeem Themselves at the Trade Deadline<\/h2>\n

The Big One<\/h3>\n

Yesterday, after over 500 days, the <\/span>Russell Westbrook<\/b><\/a> experience was extinguished.\u00a0 LA shipped him, <\/span>Juan Toscano-Anderson<\/b><\/a>, <\/span>Damian Jones<\/b><\/a>, and a first-round pick to the <\/span>Utah Jazz<\/b><\/a> as part of a three-team deal.\u00a0 In return, they reunited with <\/span>D\u2019Angelo Russell<\/b><\/a> from the <\/span>Minnesota Timberwolves<\/b><\/a> and also received <\/span>Jarred Vanderbilt<\/b><\/a> and <\/span>Malik Beasley<\/b><\/a> from Utah.<\/span><\/p>\n

Breaking it Down<\/h4>\n

Russell, who the Lakers drafted in 2016, is a major upgrade at the point guard slot. The 26-year-old is averaging nearly 18 points, three rebounds, and six assists per game.\u00a0 His 39% shooting from downtown is another welcome addition for a squad that is <\/span>26th in three-point percentage<\/span><\/a> at 31.1.\u00a0 The fact that his $31 million contract is expiring this summer is another welcome bonus for a team that desires cap flexibility.<\/span><\/p>\n

Vanderbilt is a 6\u20199\u201d, 214-pound wing who thrives in the paint while showing promise as a great defender.\u00a0 He has averaged 8.3 points, 7.9 rebounds, and one steal per game and holds a true shooting percentage of 60.7%.\u00a0 The 23-year-old fills a dire need for the Lakers as a wing defender who brings size and athleticism on the offensive end.\u00a0 He has the potential to make an impact in the team\u2019s veteran-laden rotation, and his prowess as a cutter (<\/span>71% of his field goals are assisted<\/span><\/a>) bodes well for facilitators like James and Russell.<\/span><\/p>\n

Lastly, Beasley serves as the kind of perimeter threat that a James and Davis-led team must have.\u00a0 The six-year veteran has averaged 13.4 points per game while shooting 36% from deep this year, akin to his career average of 38% from three.\u00a0 Defensively, he has put up nearly one steal a game and three games with at least four steals.\u00a0 Beasley can succeed in any role he has on the Lakers, helping them on both ends with his shooting and swiping.<\/span><\/p>\n

A Big Man Moves On<\/h3>\n

The team\u2019s first move of Thursday morning was a head-scratcher, to say the least.\u00a0 The Lakers traded center <\/span>Thomas Bryant<\/b><\/a> to the <\/span>Denver Nuggets in exchange for Davon Reed<\/strong><\/a> and three second-round picks.\u00a0 Bryant, who averaged 12 points and nearly seven rebounds this year, reportedly <\/span>requested a trade after his role was diminished with Davis\u2019s return from injury<\/span><\/a>.\u00a0 The Lakers were willing to find him a better situation rather than lose him for nothing this summer. It was a classy move that saw them receive draft capital and another player in need of a fresh start.<\/span><\/p>\n

Reed, a 6\u20195\u201d guard and three-year veteran, averaged a mere 2.3 points while shooting 36% from deep.\u00a0 Though it seems like a negligible acquisition, he was playing nine minutes a night behind a crowd of guards on Devner\u2019s roster.\u00a0 The analytics, however, tell a different story:<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

Davon Reed a year ago.<\/p>\n

Along with a B- grade in defensive impact (via D-LEBRON) in a Wing Stopper role.<\/p>\n

This year he’s barely played. pic.twitter.com\/MYeWptCmQO<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Cranjis McBasketball (@Tim_NBA) February 9, 2023<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Reed does have potential as a plug-and-play option among LA\u2019s multitude of guards.\u00a0 His perimeter prowess will help them plenty, and his effort on the defensive end will speak volumes.<\/span><\/p>\n

Upgrade in the Middle<\/h3>\n

The final trade the Lakers made was an exciting one for their fans.\u00a0 They acquired <\/span>Mo Bamba<\/b><\/a> from the <\/span>Orlando Magic in exchange for <\/span>Patrick Beverley<\/b><\/a> and second-round picks.\u00a0 Though they lost one of their best perimeter defenders, the Lakers make up for it by receiving a talented young center with tons of potential.<\/span><\/p>\n

Bamba has averaged 7.3 points, 4.6 rebounds, and one block per game while shooting an impressive 40% from deep this season.\u00a0 The 24-year-old is an underrated pickup for a team that has struggled with their centers this year–from Davis\u2019s injuries to Bryant\u2019s deficiencies on defense and Damian Jones\u2019s inability to gain consistent minutes.\u00a0 Now, Bamba gives LA a two-way threat whose athleticism and floor-spacing will do wonders for them.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Last Word on the Los Angeles Lakers<\/h3>\n

Overall, the Lakers have turned their season around with these moves.\u00a0 Each new player appears to fix some problem the team has dealt with for most of the season, whether it was a lack of shooting, size, defense, or all three.\u00a0 Rob Pelinka and the rest of the front office have worked their magic to turn this team from a disaster to one that could seriously make a run in the playoffs (assuming they get there).<\/span><\/p>\n

Now, it\u2019s up to those new acquisitions to fit in and help LA win.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In the past 24 hours, the Los Angeles Lakers have been transformed from a bottom-feeder team to potential postseason contenders.\u00a0 General Manager Rob Pelinka pulled off an absolute masterclass of moves yesterday and today, acquiring a plethora of talent who now fit like gloves alongside the star-studded duo of LeBron James and Anthony Davis. The […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4265,"featured_media":49247,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[26,62],"tags":[240,307,38,662,53],"class_list":["post-49242","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-lakers","category-nba","tag-anthony-davis","tag-dangelo-russell","tag-lebron-james","tag-nba-trade-deadline","tag-russell-westbrook"],"modified_by":"Kevin Nivek","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/49242","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4265"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=49242"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/49242\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/49247"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=49242"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=49242"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=49242"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}