Grade the Trade: 3-team proposal turns Lakers dead weight into much-needed reunion

The Los Angeles Lakers have hit a rough patch after a jubilant start under JJ Redick. There's still plenty of talent on the roster, but LeBron James and Anthony Davis deserve a more serious supporting cast.

Redick has struggled to find the right combination of pieces in the starting lineup — especially at point guard. We've seen D'Angelo Russell get a couple cracks at it, but he recently lost his spot to Gabe Vincent. Russell and has $18.7 million expiring contract have long been trade machine staples, but we are at the point where it would be negligence to not trade him. The Russell experiment has failed in LA.

Rob Pelinka has made inaction his trademark over the years. It's almost like the Russell Westbrook misfire made him a bit gun-shy. There is also the new CBA to contend with, which is why the Lakers are never going to track down a third All-Star to pair with James and Davis. That said, the Lakers are good enough to justify an aggressive trade deadline. At the very least, Pelinka needs to tinker around the edges. He can't run it back for another postseason in what could be LeBron's penultimate campaign.

This trade from Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report would accomplish a great deal, transforming Russell and spare parts into an everyday starter and improved depth.

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3-team Lakers, Nets, Pistons trade would plant Dennis Schroder in LA

Los Angeles Lakers receive — Dennis Schroder, Dorian Finney-Smith, Day'Ron Sharpe, Shake Milton, Wendell Moore Jr.
Brooklyn Nets receive — D'Angelo Russell, Gabe Vincent, Jalen Hood-Schifino, 2029 and 2031 first-round picks from Lakers
Detroit Pistons receive — Christian Wood, Maxwell Lewis, Vanja Marinković

This is an ambitious trade for Los Angeles, dealing both of its tradable first-round picks without landing a star in return. That is what the Lakers need more of, though. Ambition. There's a lot of risk inherent to going all-in on a LeBron and AD core that won't be around much longer. Both these picks, as stipulated by B/R, would be top-five protected, so the Lakers do hedge their bet a little bit.

Is the risk worth it? Only time will tell, but this move does meaningfully improve the Lakers' standing in a winnable Western Conference. Dennis Schorder's first go-around in LA wasn't anything special, but he'd bring valuable stability to a volatile position. Whereas Russell is a disengaged defender and a streaky shooter, Schroder can scrap at the point of attack and set the table offensively. The combined rim pressure and playmaking of Schroder and Austin Reaves would take pressure off of LeBron and add a new dynamism to LA's halfcourt offense.

This is about more than swapping Russell for Schroder, though. The Lakers also land another potential starter in Dorian Finney-Smith, who's hitting 43.2 percent of his 3s so far this season. Los Angeles needs more shooters and Finney-Smith is a 3-and-D poster child, offering a dependable spot-up jumper to go along with excellent defense. He isn't quite at the defensive peak he reached with Dallas a few years ago, but the 31-year-old can still handle challenging assignments and get after it.

Receiving two impact, starting-level pieces — plus a couple viable bench cogs in Day'Ron Sharpe and Shake Milton — is enough to justify the two first-round picks, even if it's risky. This is a short-term investment predicated on contending in the immediate future. Schroder and Finney-Smith aren't flashy names, but the Lakers do feel far deeper and more well-rounded after this trade.

As for Brooklyn, getting two future first-round picks from a team about to lose LeBron James (and maybe Anthony Davis) is good business, even with light protections. Russell wouldn't have much of a future in Brooklyn, but he did experience the most success of his career in a Nets uniform. We've seen Jordi Fernandez get a lot out of his backcourt this season. Maybe he can revive his career away from the pressure inherent to Lakers basketball. Jalen Hood-Schifino is a nice throw-in.

Detroit sneaks in and transforms a bottom of the bench piece into Christian Wood, Maxwell Lewis, and the draft rights to 27-year-old Serbian wing Vanja Marinković. This is mostly reshuffling deck chairs, but Lewis has some upside as a developmental project and Marinkovic is a solid European pro. You never know.

Lakers grade: B-
Nets grade: B+
Pistons grade: B+