This Lakers-Nets trade could provide a point guard spark for JJ Redick’s offense

The Los Angeles Lakers started strong under new head coach JJ Redick, but a loss to the lowly Pistons on Monday has fans second-guessing what is real, and what is not. Redick has cooked up some inventive offensive sets, but the Lakers' defense is struggling and depth is a point of concern.

As expected, the weakest link in an otherwise solid starting five is D'Angelo Russell, who is averaging 12.0 points and 6.1 assists on .382/.302/.933 splits. Those shooting numbers will perk back up eventually, but Russell is a disengaged defender whose tendency to run hot or cold has doomed Los Angeles countless times in the past.

It's beyond time for Los Angeles to dump his expiring $18.7 million contract. That is a valuable salary chip in trades and the Lakers, for all the hype around Redick and this new offense, desperately need to add more bankable talent around Anthony Davis and LeBron James. We are starting to see the warts of this roster and Russell presents the clearest path to a significant upgrade.

Most of the realistic 'third star' trades are out the window at this point. The Lakers will need to think smaller, perhaps simply swapping Russell for a better point guard to help shoulder the primary offensive burden. Russell's off-ball shooting is a nifty weapon in Redick's arsenal, but the Lakers would benefit from a more dependable on-ball generator.

Why not a reunion with Dennis Schroder?

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This Lakers-Nets trade would boost the Lakers and aid the Nets rebuild

The Brooklyn Nets are 4-4 behind blistering starts from Dennis Schroder and Cam Thomas, but that is a team with its eyes on the prize — the prize being projected No. 1 pick Cooper Flagg. What the Nets can do is parlay Schroder's productive campaign as starting point guard into a lucrative trade, with the Lakers standing out as an obvious destination.

This is a reunion on both fronts. Schroder returns to LA, where he spent the 2020-21 season, while D'Angelo Russell returns to the one team that made him an All-Star. Russell getting up shots in a Brooklyn uniform is sure to be agreeable to him, and it probably won't help the Nets win games, which is a positive for Brooklyn. Schroder gets to start on a contender in Los Angeles, providing the Lakers with a dynamic source of rim pressure and on-ball creation in the halfcourt.

Schroder's last stint in a Lakers uniform wasn't entirely smooth, but he's straight-up better than Russell. Redick, for whatever faults he has, seems to have a clear-eyed understanding of how to best utilize the individual pieces on the proverbial chessboard. Schroder's slippery downhill creation can really help a team. He generates advantages, sets up teammates, and scores efficiently around the rim. The Lakers would have two fairly productive slashers on the perimeter between Schroder and Austin Reaves, thus removing some of the shot-creating burden from LeBron's aging shoulders.

Russell, meanwhile, gets to play out the rest of his contract in Brooklyn, surely putting up big numbers that could help him drive up value in free agency. The Nets also receive Jalen Hood-Schifino, a worthwhile developmental project who recently had his third-year option declined by LA. He would absorb some of the point guard reps in Schroder's stead and finally get a real shot to prove his mettle in the NBA. Jarred Vanderbilt has four years and $48 million left on his deal, but once he's back from injury, that won't seem so exorbitant, especially with the NBA's rising cap ceiling.

The Nets get a potentially valuable first-round pick out of this deal, while Bojan Bogdanovic accompanies Schroder on an expiring $19.0 million contract to provide JJ Redick with much-needed second-unit depth. Bogey's shot-making chops remain excellent and he can give Los Angeles a nice boost in the second unit, with the versatility to play either forward spot.

This trade has real win-win upside. Let's call it in.