Lou Williams trade scrambles Eastern Conference buyers’ market
Last night, in Magic Johnson’s first move as the Los Angeles Lakers’ President of Basketball Operations, the team traded combo guard Lou Williams to the Houston Rockets for Corey Brewer and Houston’s unprotected 2017 first-rounder.
The trade makes sense from both sides: Houston was a long-rumored potential landing spot for Williams, while the Lakers being able to nab a first-round pick for a player they had no need for is great. While having Brewer’s $7.6 million salary on the books for next season isn’t a great situation for Los Angeles, it’s a movable deal for a rotation player. The Lakers are by no means done manipulating their roster.
However, what stands out more than what Houston or Los Angeles were able to get as a part of this deal is what two Eastern Conference suitors missed out on when the Rockets grabbed Williams. We heard from several reporters that the Washington Wizards were definitely one of the primary aggressors in discussions for Williams– ditto for the Charlotte Hornets.
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The scoring stud makes sense for both teams; his ability to run the second unit and play off-ball with the starters makes him a very valuable veteran piece on offense. Both Southeastern Division teams have star point guards manning the position for most of every game, but they lack the punch from their backups and secondary playmakers to sustain offensive efficiency over entire games.
As you can see above, the most desperate East buyers are the ones needing to shore up their bench. Teams can’t be this high in the standings so late in the year without a good starting lineup, but they definitely won’t be doing much in the early summer without those sixth, seventh, and eighth men. As such, Lou Willliams (sporting a dazzling 5.1 win shares himself) was an obvious target for the Hornets and Wizards. He would have doubled Washington’s bench win shares all by himself.
Looking more closely at Charlotte’s situation, it’s obvious that their bench has not necessarily stood out as a problem by this one metric so far this year. They have a deep stable of capable players, but have failed to fill out the guard rotation during the Steve Clifford era. This season, they are sorely missing the presence of Jeremy Lin in the second unit. Charlotte’s 19th-ranked offense desperately needs playmakers next to and behind Kemba Walker if the Hornets hope to return to the playoffs or improve on their success there last season.
Where do these teams (Washington and Charlotte) look, now that their top target stayed put in the Western Conference? There are still several options: Darren Collison could probably be had for change after Sacramento’s reboot; Alec Burks is disposable and sort of expensive for a rising Jazz team; even the soon-to-be-cut Langston Galloway (a throw-in to the Cousins deal) might work out.
If these players are a little too rich for the Hornets and Wizards, they could look even cheaper, at guys barely playing for their respective teams. Sergio Rodriguez of the 76ers and Leandro Barbosa of the Suns come to mind as veteran options on rebuilding teams. If Philly or Phoenix could salvage a lower-tier asset out of either of those two players, they would have to do it.
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The criteria for a player who can improve these two Eastern Conference buyers is simple: a guard who can create offense and make open shots. Every summer, the league scrambles and shuffles these guys around, but they’re always available at various price levels. While Charlotte and Washington missed out on the grand prize of Lou Williams, they must stay active. When the recipe to improve your team is so simple, you owe it to yourself to go for it. Both teams have a real chance to come out of the trade deadline in a much better place than they started, regardless of the Lakers’ quick trigger with Williams.