Tag: Highlights

Regardless what happens between now and Thursday’s 3 p.m. ET NBA trade deadline, the Los Angeles Lakers already look like the big winners of trade season.

That doesn’t, however, mean their work is complete.

The arrival of Luka Dončić feels like a gift from the basketball gods—and the latest nod to Lakers’ exceptionalism—both for the cannon-ball-sized splash to L.A.’s talent pool and for what it means for the franchise’s post-LeBron James future. The Lakers have long-term clarity now, and it just so happens to come in the form of a 25-year-old prodigy who’s on track to have a career for the ages.

All of that is objectively great. What’s not so great, however, is the Anthony Davis-sized hole on the interior. And that will need addressing sooner than later.

Fortunately, the Lakers seem on top of things. They are “looking for a big man,” per Yahoo Sports’ Kevin O’Connor (h/t Posting and Toasting) and have New York Knicks center Mitchell Robinson on the radar.

He’s not the only one, of course. They’ve had interest in Utah Jazz center Walker Kessler “dating back to the offseason,” per The Athletic’s Jovan Buha, who added they’ve also “long coveted” Indiana Pacers stretch big Myles Turner.

If the Lakers were solely focused on the here and now, it’d be tough to craft a compelling case for Robinson, who’s still working his way back from foot surgery last May, over Kessler and Turner, who are both playing some of the best basketball of their careers.

Yet, despite having 40-year-old LeBron James on the roster, L.A. isn’t laser-locked on the current campaign. The megadeal for Dončić made that abundantly clear. For all of his prodigious talents, he’s an awkward on-court fit with James, since both are primary playmakers who spend the bulk of their time on the ball and don’t do their best work defensively.

The Lakers looked at the bigger picture with the Davis-for-Dončić deal, bringing back a player who can, in the words of general manager Rob Pelinka “lead this franchise for years to come.”

That doesn’t mean L.A. is just punting on this season, but there won’t be the same urgency for instant-competitiveness as there was when this team was following the James-Davis duo. The Lakers can approach the deadline with more than the next few months in mind. That’s why it doesn’t make sense to fork over all the assets needed to nab Kessler, whose availability feels debatable at best, or Turner, who has unrestricted free agency awaiting him after this season.

Without a pressing time crunch, the Lakers can be judicious here and search for potential bargains. That description sure feels like it’ll fit Robinson, a difference-making above-the-rim center when healthy with a de-escalating salary.

Granted, his availability concerns are a real thing. He only eclipsed 60 appearances in one of the past four seasons and made exactly 31 appearances in half of them. He’s only helpful if he’s playing, obviously, and he’s had a hard time playing consistently.

That should be baked into his trade cost, though, and he could be a real value at the proverbial right place. He’s an explosive, powerful lob-finisher who could thrive alongside shot-creators like James and Dončić. Robinson is also an active, intimidating rim protector, which might be even more valuable to have behind James, Dončić and Austin Reaves.

A healthy Robinson would be a clean fit for this roster, both now and moving forward. And while he isn’t healthy at the moment, it sounds like he could be soon.

The Lakers have already pulled off one heist this trade season, and they should see more bargain potential in plucking Robinson out of the clearance section.