The Los Angeles Lakers are going to turn over every stone when it comes to finding players to upgrade the roster this NBA offseason. They are short on tradable contracts and assets, but they are going to do whatever it takes to get this team back on track and contending as soon as possible.
That is easier said than done, as parting ways with Russell Westbrook should be the goal but it won’t be an easy one to achieve. Westbrook was not a good fit alongside LeBron James and Anthony Davis and if a reset button was possible, they would assuredly make use of it.
Right before the Lakers pulled the trigger on the deal to acquire Westbrook, they were deep into negotiations with the Sacramento Kings. Those talks got so far along that all of the players involved believed they would be on the move, with Kyle Kuzma and Montrezl Harrell heading to Sacramento and Buddy Hield coming back to Los Angeles.
Kuzma and Harrell were eventually used, along with Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, to land Westbrook. Hield was later traded to the Indiana Pacers along with Tyrese Haliburton and Tristan Thompson, in a deadline deal that sent Domantas Sabonis west.
LATEST NBA NEWS AND TRADE RUMORS: These 3 Trades Send Indiana Pacers’ Buddy Hield To Los Angeles Lakers
Could the Lakers hit the redo button in this scenario and follow through on a deal to land Hield? According to Matt Moore of Action Network, the Lakers have circled back to Hield as a trade target.
A pretty common trade proposal that has been mocked is Hield and Malcolm Brogdon to the Lakers in exchange for Westbrook and draft compensation. That is a deal the Lakers would do in a heartbeat as Hield and Brogdon would be excellent fits on the roster alongside James and Davis.
Hield’s volume 3-point shooting is something Los Angeles would benefit greatly from. He struggled last season, but his standards, making 36.6 percent of his 3-point attempts overall. However, for his career, he is a 39.8 percent shooter on 7.6 attempts per game.
LATEST NBA NEWS AND TRADE RUMORS: These 3 Trades Send Indiana Pacers’ Buddy Hield To Los Angeles Lakers
Having a sniper of that caliber would help tremendously. The Lakers need floor spacing in the worst way and Hield can provide that. He makes for an excellent target, even more so if they are unable to move Westbrook as his 3-point shooting will be key in the offense flowing smoothly.
