Desperate times call for desperate measures, and after being knocked out in five games in the first round of the playoffs, the Los Angeles Lakers are most definitely desperate. This is a franchise that has always taken big swings, so the question this offseason is just how big a swing will president of basketball operations Rob Pelinka be willing to take in the pursuit of another championship?
By trading for Luka Dončić in February, Pelinka ensured that the Lakers' post-LeBron future is secure, or at least it will be if and when Luka signs an extension. As for LeBron, he has until June 29 to decide on his player option for next year, though it's widely expected that he'll be back for at least one more year.
Even with those two superstars, the Lakers were clearly no match for the Minnesota Timberwolves, for a number of reasons. The defense experienced a resurgence in the middle of the year, but that turned out to be a mirage. The lack of a true center really worked against L.A., as Rudy Gobert had his way and the rest of the Wolves were also able to physically impose their will on the glass and in the paint. Head coach JJ Redick lost all faith in his bench as the series wore on, opting to play his starters huge minutes in a gambit that ultimately failed.
This offseason could go a few different ways. Pelinka could work along the margins, try to find a few worthwhile bench additions and a warm body at center, and hope that having Luka on board for the entire season will result in a better finish. Is that the Laker way, though? Not if a half-century of history has taught us anything.
Of the 30 franchises in the NBA, none have been more committed to acquiring stars than the Lakers, a fitting ethos for a franchise that calls Hollywood home. Most pundits have taken their best shot at predicting what L.A. will do in the months to come, but that speculation has mostly been limited to second-tier options like Nic Claxton and Brook Lopez. Others have advocated going for superstars like Giannis Antetokounmpo or Kevin Durant, but with so many other teams sure to be vying for their services, the Lakers just don't have the assets to win any kind of bidding war.
That doesn't mean that Pelinka can't think big, it just means that he has to be willing to take on a suicidal level of risk to do it. There's superstar-level talent out there, the only problem is that these are the kinds of players that come with a 747's worth of baggage.
The Lakers still might be inclined to take the plunge. They are the Lakers, after all, and they'll no doubt be hellbent on staying ahead of the Dallas Mavericks, who just caught lightning in a bottle by winning the NBA Draft lottery and the Cooper Flagg sweepstakes.
To get any of these players, the Lakers would have to give up a lot to make the salaries match, but their prospective trade partners would probably say yes just to get out of these contracts.
Is there a high probability that these moves would blow up in the Lakers' faces? Oh yes, very much yes. If Pelinka determines that it's worth the risk to have a shot at a championship, though, the newly promoted executive could shock the league once again.
Trae Young wouldn't help L.A.'s defense, but he'd make the Lakers a nightmare to defend
Most NBA teams strive for balance, but the Lakers could zag while everyone else zigs and instead try to create a true offensive juggernaut that could outscore everyone. Trae Young's name has been on the trade block for the Atlanta Hawks for a while now, especially as their young core has shown promise without him.
Trading Rui Hachimura, Gabe Vincent, Maxi Kleber and Dalton Knecht makes this one work, while allowing the Lakers to keep their three best players. Most teams would demand more in return for a franchise player, but a) the Lakers don't have much in the way of draft picks to add, and b) this is a pretty reasonable return if the Hawks believe they've already seen the best of the Trae Young era.
Young led the league with 11.6 assists per game this past season, and while he isn't anywhere near Magic Johnson, his court vision and flair for the dramatic are as reasonable a facsimile as the Lakers can hope to find. Combined with Luka, LeBron and Austin Reaves (and we hope a capable center in free agency), the Lakers could be impossible to stop.
Luka and Trae have been linked since they were traded for each other on draft night in 2018, and this would finally take their connection full circle, in L.A. of all places.
Zion Williamson and Luka Dončić could hit the weight room together
If there's one player in the league that could feel Luka's pain as he's been denigrated for his conditioning these past few months, it's Zion Williamson. Zion was poised to be the next big thing when he entered the league in 2019, but instead he's become the next BIG thing as he's struggled with his weight and a seemingly never-ending string of injuries.
There's no way to characterize Zion's time in New Orleans as anything other than a massive disappointment (this time I'm not going for the pun). He's still one of the most talented players in the league when healthy, though, he just hasn't shown the commitment to stay on the court.
Zion is one of the league's most explosive leapers, and his ability to shoot a high field goal percentage while not being a true center is rivaled only by Giannis. He's shot the ball at nearly a 60 percent clip in his career, and his assist rate has gone up every year he's been in the league.
Zion is maybe the most tantalizing player in the NBA, and the Lakers won't be the only ones contending with an angel and a devil on their shoulder this offseason when they decide if he's worth the risk. He's a former No. 1 overall pick for a reason, and if someone can just get through to him and keep him in shape, the sky is the limit.
The Lakers already know that they need to get Luka in better shape to contend for a title. JJ Redick said it after the season without explicitly naming his Slovenian star. Why not go on the buddy system? By pairing Zion with Luka, the duo would have the biggest collective chip on their shoulder in the league. Maybe they build their own In-N-Out burger outside the practice facility, or maybe they decide enough is enough and lay waste to the rest of the league.
Zion could be had for the reasonable price of Hachimura, Vincent and Kleber, but it's still a big risk because he still has three years left on his deal. The Pelicans might be grateful to not have their fortunes tied to someone so unreliable, but their risk aversion could be the Lakers' gain (or downfall!).
Joel Embiid is the ultimate high-risk, high-reward trade target
You want to fly close to the sun, Lakers fans? Let's go full Icarus. Joel Embiid won the MVP just two years ago. When healthy, he's the best offensive center in the game not named Nikola Jokic. He also fills this roster's biggest need and would carry on a long Laker tradition of acquiring superstar bigs.
Even more than Zion, Embiid's health situation is absolutely terrifying, especially considering the $55 million he's owed next year and the $193 million he's still set to receive from the three-year supermax extension that he technically hasn't even begun playing on yet. He hobbled his way through just 19 games this past season before being shut down the rest of the way with chronic knee issues, and he's also dealt with back problems throughout his career.
Matching Embiid's salary would take Hachimura, Vincent, Kleber and Reaves. Given how anxious the Sixers are to free themselves of his contract, the Lakers might even be able to wrangle a draft pick or two out of the deal.
Trading for a player with a dicey injury history is always scary, but even more so when it's a big man. That fear is only exacerbated by the possibility of being on the hook for nearly a quarter of a billion dollars. This is a move with no in-between. Either Embiid would help make the Lakers a juggernaut, or he'd cripple them.
How about the good? Embiid gets to the free throw line better than nearly anyone in the league, and before this injury-shortened season, he averaged over 30 points per game in each of the previous three seasons. He's an intimidating rim protector who's one of the few guys who can replace what Anthony Davis did on that end of the floor.
The Lakers kiboshed the Mark Williams deal due to concerns over his medical record, so it's unlikely that they'd turn around and trade for someone who would make the team doctors break out in a cold sweat. As the Lakers showed in acquiring Luka, though, never say never.