Fansided

The 2018 30-team NBA mega-trade that solves nothing and makes everyone mad

By Ian Levy

CLEVELAND, OH - JANUARY 31: Channing Frye
CLEVELAND, OH - JANUARY 31: Channing Frye /
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DENVER, CO – JANUARY 25: New York Knicks guard Ron Baker (31) sticks his tongue out before a jump ball with Denver Nuggets guard Jamal Murray (27) during the third quarter on January 25, 2018 at Pepsi Center. (Photo by John Leyba/The Denver Post via Getty Images)
DENVER, CO – JANUARY 25: New York Knicks guard Ron Baker (31) sticks his tongue out before a jump ball with Denver Nuggets guard Jamal Murray (27) during the third quarter on January 25, 2018 at Pepsi Center. (Photo by John Leyba/The Denver Post via Getty Images) /

Los Angeles Lakers

Sending out: Julius Randle (DAL), Jordan Clarkson (MEM)

Bringing in: Ed Davis (POR), Ron Baker (NYK), 2018 second-round pick (MEM), 2018 second-round pick (NYK)

The Lakers seem to be approaching this trade deadline with the goal of clearing cap space, if not for the summer of 2018, then for the summer of 2019. This deal doesn’t help them shed Luol Deng’s monster contract but it gives them some financial space.

Here the Lakers take Clarkson’s contract off the book and remove the onus of having to pay up for Julius Randle. The return they get is fairly small but they’ve done a lot to depress the value of both Clarkson and Randle with the way they’ve handled them this year and how transparent they’ve been about their team-building plans.

Ed Davis is an expiring to clear cap space from their books. If they want, they might be able to re-sign him on a short deal this summer if they miss out on their bigger targets. Baker has another year on his deal but it’s an inexpensive one and, to some amateur talent evaluators, he has the appeal of a young Luke Walton. The Lakers also land two second-round picks in this draft that could be fairly useful, from Memphis and New York, which could be a chance to snag the next Kyle Kuzma.

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