Grade the trade: Lakers swap D'Angelo Russell for impact forward, new 6th man in 3-team proposal

The Los Angeles Lakers have been remarkably inactive this offseason. Rob Pelinka hasn't made a single major addition to the roster aside from his 2024 NBA Draft picks, Dalton Knecht and Bronny James. In fact, the Lakers haven't signed a single outside free agent other than their two-way rookies and Summer League invitees. It's an issue.

LeBron James is 39 with a couple years left in the tank. Anthony Davis is more in his prime, but he's not a spring chicken by NBA standards. To stand by and let the roster around them stew in mediocrity is borderline malpractice. At some point, Pelinka needs to use the considerable resources at his disposal as the Los Angeles Lakers General Manager to improve this team.

It's hard to imagine the Lakers being cheap, but Los Angeles is in fact a cheap team. At least relative to market size. While other contenders boldly take on this new CBA and its vaunted tax aprons, the Lakers have diligently sidestepped trades or signings that would meaningfully restrict future maneuverability or, perhaps more damning, cost ownership extra money.

In the realm of hypothetical, however, we can free the Lakers from this underwhelming approach. Why not fashion a trade the meaningfully upgrades the roster and signals an all-in approach to James' final years. That is what the Lakers should be doing, after all, and a recent uptick in D'Angelo Russell trade buzz supplies the fanbase with a faint glimmer of hope.

Over at Bleacher Report, Andy Bailey has proposed a bold three-team trade that reshapes the Lakers' roster and rehomes Russell. Frankly, the logic checks out for all parties involved, too. You can't always say that for these more ambitious fake trades.

Here are the full details.

Lakers, Blazers, Magic trade involving D'Angelo Russell, Jerami Grant, and Cole Anthony

Let's start with the Orlando Magic, who essentially turn Cole Anthony and Jett Howard, a 2023 lottery pick, into D'Angelo Russell, Jalen Hood-Schifino (the No. 17 pick last summer), and a couple second-round picks.

I am hesitant to fully endorse this part of the trade, as Anthony is in the first year of an extremely affordable contract (three years, $39.1 million). That said, Russell was without doubt the better player last season, and the Magic need to upgrade the point guard position. D'Lo can be a tricky player to project, even in a more familiar setting, but Orlando is the best possible team fit he could hope for.

The Magic need 3-point volume in a bad way. Russell is comfortable firing off the catch or pulling up out of pick-and-roll actions. He stretches the defense, adequately sets the table, and gives Orlando another halfcourt engine to ease the burden on Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner. Both Banchero and Wagner would benefit from easy, spoon-fed buckets. Russell, meanwhile, would benefit from two 6-foot-10 wings who put constant pressure on the rim and collapse the middle of the defense.

Orlando has a tremendous defensive ecosystem to hide Russell, too. He's in the final year of his contract, but could potentially be re-signed at a more team-friendly number than his current $18.7 million salary next offseason.

Jalen Hood-Schifino never showed much as a rookie in Los Angeles, but he could inherit more opportunities in Orlando. He's a prime change of scenery guy, as the baseball reporters would say.

Orlando Magic trade grade: B

As for the Portland Trail Blazers, it's past time to trade Jerami Grant. The desire for veteran leadership and stability is understandable, but dealing Grant before that contract sours — originally five years, $160 million when he signed it last summer — would be the smart move. Grant can average 20 a game and provide excellent defense on the wing, but he's a diminishing asset waiting to happen.

Portland removes Grant from the equation for salary filler (Gabe Vincent, Jarred Vanderbilt) and a recent lotto pick in Jett Howard, whose prolific shooting ability could complement the rollicking rim attacks of Scoot Henderson quite nicely. Vincent and Vanderbilt aren't bad either; both have a chance to carve out meaningful roles, especially Vando at the same position as Grant. Both were hurt last season, but that just means there's a chance to uncover hidden value and potentially flip moveable contracts for more assets at the trade deadline.

Howard and the two first-round picks — a 2025 pick from Denver and a 2029 pick from Los Angeles — are the real haul. That is, frankly, great value for Grant given the state of financial affairs in the NBA under the new collective bargaining agreement. That Grant contract is spooky, even with his undeniable winning impact, and this trade sets up Portland for the long run.

Portland Trail Blazers trade grade: A

As for the Lakers... what a haul. The Grant contract concerns are real, but the NBA's cap ceiling is going to balloon expeditiously as this new TV deal goes into effect. And, again, the Lakers should be aggressive in the waning years of LeBron's career. For lack of a better phrase, he deserves it. The Lakers own it to LeBron to contend. Actually contend.

Grant would plug seamlessly into the Lakers' starting lineup, giving Los Angeles a versatile perimeter defender who can hit 3s, attack seams in the defense, and score 15-20 points on a nightly basis. Grant averaged 21.0 points on .451/.402/.817 splits last season, operating frequently as the Blazers' No. 1 option. To be that efficient as the primary scorer on a bad team, surrounded by inexperienced guards, is no small feat.

He's not a flawless player — Grant rebounds poorly for his position, and he's not much of a passer — but occupying the third banana role next to LeBron and AD, Grant would surely thrive. He addresses Los Angeles' aching needs for defense and 3-point shooting, and he's quite adaptable when injuries strike and roster needs change.

As for Cole Anthony, he's arguably an upgrade over Russell. At worst, he's a damn good sixth man, giving the Lakers another spark-plug scorer to carry the second unit when LeBron sits. Anthony needs to improve his defense and up his assist rate, but the pull-up shooting dynamism and relentless confidence are bankable traits. Anthony costs less than Russell, too, and he's under contract for at least two seasons.

The Lakers sacrifice a couple depth pieces and a future first-round pick to get this deal across the finish line, but Los Angeles comes away considerably higher in the Western Conference hierarchy. A huge win.

Los Angeles Lakers trade grade: A