As the Los Angeles Lakers start to build around Luka Doncic instead of LeBron James, they are expected to add a complementary forward, although one executive might prevent it from happening.
The Los Angeles Lakers are in the middle of a complete overhaul. Last season, they traded for superstar Luka Doncic, who is expected to be the face of the franchise for the next decade, and on June 18, the Buss family sold their majority stake to the Guggenheim Group for $10 billion.
In Hollywood, the Lakers are far from the only star to get a facelift, but theirs might be the highest-profile.
In order to maximize LeBron James’ window and build a contender with Doncic at the center of it all, the Lakers are expected to add frontcourt players to bolster their defense and interior scoring, and the Utah Jazz have emerged as a viable trade partner.
The Lakers have made it no secret that they covet some of the Utah Jazz’s better players. As Utah prepares for another year of rebuilding, Walker Kessler has long been a viable trade target for the Lakers, although they have their sights set on John Collins, as well.
It’s easy to see why. Last season, Collins averaged 19 points and 8.2 rebounds while shooting 39.9% from deep and being a versatile defender.
“Many within the Lakers organization believe Collins would be an especially great fit alongside Luka Doncic,” wrote ClutchPoints’ Anthony Irwin.
“Since their season ended, they’ve held a few conversations with the Utah Jazz to try to land the 27-year-old big man, with Rui Hachimura often the centerpiece of the deal.”
While Hachimura and Collins’ salaries don’t match, it’s easy to build a trade package with Hachimura and Dalton Knecht, or another young player, which should be enough to entice the Jazz.
A lineup of Doncic, James, Collins, Austin Reaves, and a traditional center should be enough for the Lakers to run the West, or at the very least, be a contender.
Danny Ainge spent all 14 of his NBA seasons playing for either Western Conference teams or the Boston Celtics, instilling a disdain for the Lakers.
As an executive, he has worked with the Phoenix Suns and Celtics as well as the Jazz, and is not inclined to help out his bitter rival.
That makes imagining a deal between the Lakers and Jazz harder.
“Unless Danny Ainge has left the Jazz organization, I can assure you he’s not doing a deal with the Lakers, much less one that helps them,” posted Fox Sports’ Ric Bucher last season.
Ainge did help facilitate the Doncic trade by taking on Jalen Hood-Schifino’s contract in exchange for second-round draft capital. It later emerged that Ainge was blindsided, only privy to information around their section of the trade, unaware he was unwittingly helping the Lakers land a superstar.
This led to Draymond Green claiming the Lakers ‘could never call the Jazz about a trade again’, speaking on his podcast.
In a trade for Collins or Kessler, Ainge and the Jazz have all the leverage, and it should be expected that they will push their luck in negotiations.
