Proposed Trade Swaps Lakers Guard for $30 Million Veteran Big

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JJ Redick, Los Angeles Lakers

The Los Angeles Lakers have long been linked with a potential trade to add another big man to their roster. The position has been a weak link for the franchise in recent seasons, especially when Anthony Davis has missed time due to injury or illness.

Jonas Valanciunas has consistently been mentioned as a potential trade candidate ahead of the Feb. 6 trade deadline. In a recent episode of ESPN’s NBA Today, cap expert Bobby Marks shared a potential trade that could see the veteran big man swap the Washington Wizards for the Purple and Gold of the Lakers. The trade looks like this:

Lakers receive: Jonas Valanciunas

Wizards receive: Gabe Vincent 

“The Lakers are an apron team,” Marks said. “They’re not allowed to take back more money in a deal. Valanciunas certainly makes less than Vincent. The hard part is that trades don’t happen right when December 15 is lifted. Most trades happen on deadline week. So, we might be in a little bit of a holding pattern as far as what the Lakers can do with their roster.”

Valanciunas has played in 19 games so far this season. He’s averaging 12.1 points, 7.7 rebounds and 2.1 assists while shooting 58% from the field. The Lakers may be concerned about his 25% shooting from three-point range this season, as they need a big who can stretch the floor.

Valanciunas Wouldn’t Fix The Lakers

According to former NBA champion Kendrick Perkins, Valanciunas wouldn’t fix the Lakers current big man issues. Perkins’ comments came during the same episode of NBA Today. He believes JJ Redick’s team needs an athletic big, rather than hulking veteran such as Valanciunas.

“Hell no,” Perkins said. “They need an athletic big. They need a guy…When you see them making a trade, they need someone that AD can benefit playing off of. I don’t see him playing well alongside Valanciunas. We saw when they won a championship, they had athletic bigs in Dwight Howard and JaVale McGee.”

If the front office or coaching staff doesn’t believe Valanciunas can move the needle, they should avoid trading for him. The Lakers have limited tradable assets. They must be judicious in who they target to help improve their current roster and their chances of postseason success.

JJ Redick Wants Lakers Player to Take Ownership

When speaking to the media following the Laker’s 93-134 blow-out loss to the Miami Heat on Wednesday, Dec. 4, JJ Redick called on his players to take ownership of their performances.

“There has to be some ownership on the court and I’ll take all the ownership in the world,” Redick said. “This is my team and I lead it. I’m embarrassed. But I can’t physically get us organized…I’m not blaming players. I own this. But, gonna need some ownership on the court as well. There’s not a sense from me that we’re together right now.”

Los Angeles has a brand new coaching staff this season. However, they are still dealing with issues similar to those last season under Darvin Ham. As such, it’s clear the current roster is part of the problem. There doesn’t appear to be a unity within the team. If the Lakers want to make a push for the playoffs, the players must find a way to get the best out of each other.

Fortunately for Los Angeles, Rob Pelinka is never afraid to ring the changes at the trade deadline. We could find ourselves watching a very different version of the Lakers before the end of the season.