With Luka Doncic only one calendar year away from needing to decide on a $46 million player option and LeBron James likely to retire at any point in the next couple of seasons, the time is now for Rob Pelinka to go out and make moves around his dynamic duo to go after one more title with James while also convincing Doncic that it’s worth sticking around after the NBA’s all-time leading scorer rides off into the sunset.
After the Lakers’ disappointing exit from the playoffs after losing to the Minnesota Timberwolves in the first-round, J.J. Reddick’s squad was severely exposed when it comes to the lack of a true starting-caliber center.
In a trade idea from Sports Illustrated, the Lakers would finally solve their big man problem in the form of a former All-Star, perennial league leader in rebounding that also adds some flare on the offensive side of the ball.
Sacramento Kings Receive: Austin Reaves, Rui Hachimura, Jared Vanderbilt, 2031 First-Round Pick (unprotected)
In the proposal, the Lakers would solve their biggest issue after sending Anthony Davis to the Mavericks in the Doncic deal. Sabonis would immediately solve the Lakers getting virtually no production from the center position on the offensive side of the ball, and at his best, would be able to space the floor, allowing Doncic and James more room to operate.
On the other side of the deal, the Kings would begin the process of finally picking a lane. Stuck in the NBA’s dark hole of being a middling team, it could very well be time for the Kings to cash-in on the likes of Sabonis and perhaps DeMar Derozan and Zach Lavine and go fully into tank mode in what’s projected to be one of the best drafts in the last decade.
Acquiling a potential star in Reaves, an unprotected first-round pick, and two expiring contracts is exactly the type of package a team should want back when trading away an All-Star talent, albeit and aging one.
