Grade the Trade: 3-team blockbuster fills two massive Lakers needs

The Los Angeles Lakers' offseason was defined by inaction. Rob Pelinka did not make a single free-agent splash or trade. He made a few fringe additions, primarily with Dalton Knecht and Bronny James in the draft, but neither qualifies as an immediate rotation upgrade for a team presumably focused on contending right now.

LeBron James will enter his 22nd season with essentially the same roster that was eliminated in five games by the Denver Nuggets a few months ago. Los Angeles was the No. 7 seed in a loaded Western Conference that has only gotten stronger. The only major change for this Lakers squad is the head coach. JJ Redick has brought better vibes to practice, but it's unclear whether or not he can lead Los Angeles further than a more experienced Darvin Ham.

In short, it's hard to be genuinely confident about the Lakers' odds of accomplishing anything meaningful in 2024-25. Sure, maybe they win another NBA Cup, but we are talking about championships — and LeBron, at this point of his career, can't have much to gain beyond boosting his basketball legacy.

If the Lakers just want to win 40-odd games, sneak into the eighth seed, and let LeBron play with his son for a year or two, then their current team-building strategy is just fine. If the Lakers want to reach the mountaintop and maximize the waning years of the LeBron-AD duo, however, it's past time for Rob Pelinka to get serious and invest in roster upgrades.

Over at Bleacher Report, Eric Pincus proposed a three-team trade that would solve several issues for Los Angeles.

3-team trade concept sends Malcolm Brogdon, Jonas Valanciunas to Lakers

*Washington also gets a top-five protected 2029 first-round pick from Los Angeles.

That is a lot of moving parts, so if we want to grade in terms of probability, this one certainly strains credulity. As for the hypothetical benefits for each team, though, there is sound logic all around. That said, it's a common theme for fake trades to be engineered around improving the Lakers – and somewhat overlooking the other teams involved as a result.

The Washington Wizards are essentially getting a big bag of nothing from the Lakers. That first-round pick is valuable, but Malcolm Brogdon can probably return a first-round pick on his own. Jonas Valanciunas is in a similar boat. Even Jevon Carter is a legitimate rotation piece, and I'm not sure the Chicago Bulls want to cough him up for a couple fringe roster pieces. Johnny Davis was a lottery pick in 2022, but we haven't seen anything to suggest that he's an NBA player. And he won't get more opportunities than he did in Washington, a team openly rebuilding from the studs up.

I'll admit that "big bag of nothing" is a slight exaggeration. D'Angelo Russell is a useful regular season piece, but the Wizards don't need a veteran point guard who sucks up possessions like Russell. Please spare me the D'Lo-Jordan Poole backcourt lineups.

Jalen Hood-Schifino was a first-round pick last summer but he didn't see the floor much at all as a rookie. He was a second-round grade for me personally and I'm not convinced he's a long-term piece for the Wizards, who just selected Bub Carrington and Kyshawn George. Gabe Vincent is a vet with limited re-trade value who spent all of last season rehabbing from an injury. Christian Wood is hurt and could miss time to begin the season. Cam Reddish is barely an NBA player.

The Wizards are banking on Russell, whose contract is expiring, either sticking around or getting them more value in a separate trade. That is a bold gamble given Russell's complicated reputation, especially when it comes to the postseason. Vincent, Wood, and Reddish do next to nothing as fringe rotation pieces for a losing team. Hood-Schifino is a nice upside swing, but there are better prospects Washington can target in trades for Brogdon or Valanciunas.

Brogdon and Valanciunas for Russell and a first-round pick is the meat of this trade. The rest is... noise. The Lakers also get a bunch of trade exceptions in Pincus' trade concoction, so really the value is swinging heavily in Los Angeles' favor. There are bad front offices out there, but it's hard to imagine a trade so singularly focused on bettering the Lakers actually going through. Washington can do better and Chicago really has no reason to be here.

Lakers grade: A
Wizards grade: C-
Bulls grade: D+