The Los Angeles Lakers have had a quiet offseason, with the only major additions on the roster being Dalton Knecht and Bronny James from the NBA Draft and new head coach JJ Redick. Beyond that, they’ve struck out on almost every player that they’ve tried to sign while also struggling to make trades happen to improve their roster.
It’s clear that the Lakers haven’t been able to get a deal done due to their unrealistic valuation of their own players, which extends to making players such as Austin Reaves untouchable. Trading Reaves will unlock a whole new market of players for the Lakers, which also will help them limit their trading away future draft picks with an aging core. Using Reaves and Rui Hachimura could net the Lakers two valuable players.
The Hawks take on the albatross contract of Vincent in this deal which is giving them two young and valuable rotational players that can fit around Trae Young right now to keep their team viable as a playoff threat. Meanwhile, JJ Redick gets his wish of adding a big man next to Anthony Davis while getting an elite shooter like Bogdan Bogdanovic on an expiring contract.
The Lakers have clear needs on their roster, with more on-ball players not being one of them. The success LeBron James and AD are having on Team USA shows the certain archetypes of players needed alongside them to maximize their impact. James is the point forward for Team USA while Davis often has support from another big man, making his free-roam defense one of the biggest defensive assets of the team.
This deal will facilitate the acquisition of Bogdan Bogdanovic, who averaged 16.9 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 3.1 assists last season while shooting 37.4%. He’d be the best shooter the Lakers have had in a long-time while fulfilling many of the roles Reaves held offensively outside on-ball creativity, for which the team already has James and D’Angelo Russell. Bogdanovic is a specialist who’ll optimize the Lakers downtrodden offense from last season.
Clint Capela averaged 11.5 points, 10.6 rebounds. and 1.5 blocks last season, functioning as an old-school rim protector. While his ability to catch lobs might not be as potent as it was five years ago, Capela would form the basis of a terrifying big man rotation alongside Davis and Jarred Vanderbilt, which will be the perfect way to answer the issues created by the size on all West contenders.
The Hawks would have accepted Reaves along with picks for Dejounte Murray if the Lakers offered that package, but they wanted a lot back then. If they can compromise and take Reaves in lieu of major draft compensation for two veterans, the Hawks can find themselves in a healthier position going forward. They get rid of two players who are 30+ while adding younger talent that could help them immediately as proven NBA rotational players.
The Hawks won’t want to keep Trae Young and tank outright, but they could put the pieces of success around Young starting now and have a core that grows together. With players like Young, Jalen Johnson, and Onyeka Okongwu, Reaves and Hachimura fit that perfectly. Reaves would be a high-IQ combo guard next to Young who is a high-effort team defender, while Hachimura is a versatile forward who can play across the frontcourt and provide competent two-way play.
Reaves averaged 15.9 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 5.5 assists last season while Hachimura averaged 13.6 points and 4.3 rebounds. The players will likely retain value even if the deal doesn’t work out, so the Hawks have a chance of profiting more off this trade in the future. Second-round picks in large quantities can come in useful, so getting those picks alongside Reaves for two expiring contracts who are over 30 years old would be a tidy haul for the Hawks.
The Lakers can implement a lineup with D’Angelo Russell and Bogdan Bogdanovic as certified shooters, with Russell averaging 41.5% from beyond the arc last season, while LeBron runs point forward and is responsible for on-ball playmaking and creation. Davis and Capela form a defensive monster frontcourt, which allows AD to not be a rim protector but a free-roam defender who can switch one-through-five.
There would be offensive qualms about the Capela-AD fit, but the Lakers have made it work with non-shooting centers alongside AD without having the shooting talent this theoretical lineup would have. Max Christie can get a bigger opportunity off the bench along with rookie Dalton Knecht and the multi-positional Jarred Vanderbilt. Moving off three players for two also opens up a roster spot for another new addition, which the Lakers could use for wing depth.
The Hawks can run a dynamic offensive backcourt with Reaves and Young, with Reaves a competent off-ball complement to Young as well as a solid secondary option or ball-handler. Hachimura can float around their frontcourt, possibly linking up with Jalen Johnson as a partner for a multi-faceted wing duo. He could also be a bench option behind the more defensively oriented De’Andre Hunter.
The Hawks have a baked in safety net for failure with the youth of their roster, with the Lakers needing to make a move like this to give LeBron and AD a chance at contention next season.
