They started their season with one 0-3 record and it’s no secret that Los Angeles Lakers They are in a very bad time. It’s amazing that they had a stout defense, ranking second in the league behind only the Milwaukee Bucks. Nonetheless, his attack was horrible. They are by far the last in offensive performance, mainly due to their incredibly poor performance from the triple.
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— Ben Golliver (@BenGolliver) October 23, 2022
The team is well aware of its weaknesses. LeBron James has already pointed out the bad shots several times, noting that “We don’t put her in a pool,” after the Lakers went 6-for-33 against the Trail Blazers.
Some comments came days after opening the season against the Warriors by going 10 for 40 from three-point range. “To be perfectly honest, we’re not a team that relies on great shooters.”
If this team doesn’t make changes to their roster, it will be another lost season. There are some very interesting trade targets and free agents that could step in and help them out.
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The Lakers’ trade goals
Doug McDermott
McDermott has built a solid career as a pitcher. He is a shooter with a 41.1% career hit, able to fire on the move. Unfortunately, offense is pretty much all McDermott contributes. He is a very limited defender.
The forward is part of the rebuilding Spurs, who will gladly trade the remaining two years and $27 million on his contract if a good offer comes along.
Duncan Robinson
The emergence of Max Strus for the Miami Heat made Robinson very available. He is in the second year of a five-year, $90 million deal, but is only playing 11 minutes a game.
The shooting guard is one of the best shooters in the league, hitting it 40.6% of his career triples. However, he can be a target defensively.
Eric Gordon
Gordon has been in trade rumors for ages. The veteran is a career 37% shooter and still playing big minutes for the rebuilding Rockets.
Gordon is two years old and more 40 million in his contract.
Jay Crowder
Crowder is currently waiting for the Suns to trade him. He’s a high-volume 3-point shooter but depends on the one-up streak 34.6% average. He’s also a solid defenseman with playoff experience and a contract. which expires of 10.1 million
Unfortunately for the Lakers, the Suns consider themselves contenders and are looking for at least one good player in any potential trade for crowding. Unless he’s part of a three-way deal that includes draft picks from the Lakers, it’s hard to see the veteran in Los Angeles.
Mike Muskala
Muscala was quietly one of the best shooters in the league last season, hitting the 42.9% of its triples. The veteran is in the first year of a very affordable two-year, $7 million deal with a team option in the second year.
Josh Richardson
Richardson was once considered a prospect with some shot-making ability. Now, it’s more of an RPG with some ability to be 3&D. He shot 41.5% last year for the Celtics and Spurs.
The guard is in the final year of a contract that pays him $12.1 million and plays just 22 minutes a game in San Antonio.
Buddy Hield, Miles Turner
There has been a lot of speculation surrounding the Pacers’ trades for both Russell Westbrook and the Lakers’ 2027 and 2029 picks. And for good reason, as they would solve his shooting problems and be a nice fit.
Hield is a terrific scorer, capable of hitting the 39.8% in his high volume career. Turner is worse than his reputation suggests and has only landed the 34.9% throughout its trajectory.
Bojan Bogdanovic, Alec Burks
Bogdanovic and Burks are excellent outside shooters who play for the Pistons. There was hope that Detroit would make a jump, but they opened their season with one 1-3 balance with two bad losses against the Knicks and Pacers.
If things go wrong, maybe these two could hit the market. Bogdanovic’s $19.3 million salary and Burks’ $10 million salary would require some creativity from the Lakers to make the trade possible.
Kobe White
White has been a huge disappointment for Chicago, but all he’s been able to do is shoot. He made 38.5% of his 3-pointers for the Bulls last season.
The youngster was unable to agree to a contract extension with the team, so he will be a restricted free agent at the end of this term. If he doesn’t fit into the team’s future, the Lakers could find a way to add to his $5.8 million contract without giving up much.
The best free agents available
Carmelo Anthony, DJ Augustin, Wayne Ellington
The Lakers have already passed on several top free-agent shooters who don’t yet have a team, which could lead them to rely again on Anthony, Augustine and Ellington, who have shot 35.5%, 38.1% and 38, respectively. 2% respectively. .
Matt Thomas
Thomas played minutes for the Bulls last year, making 38.5% of his 3-pointers. He is a great shooter, but lacks great athleticism and is a weak defender. However, his future looks closer to a return to Europe.
Quinn Cook
Cook hasn’t found his footing in the NBA yet and already had his experience with the Lakers in 2021. He’s a career 40.8% shooter.
Tony Snell
Snell is an average 39.4% 3-point shooter and has good size for a small forward. The feel of the game is still very poor, even with nine years of experience.
Denzel Valentine
Valentine is a Lottery pick with an average of 36%. He had a lot of injury problems and his lack of athleticism was a real problem that kept him on the court.
kemba walker
Walker was recently released by the Pistons. He has hit 36% of his outside attempts, but injury problems have plagued him. His defensive concerns have kept him out of the league so far.
The views expressed here do not necessarily represent the NBA or its organizations.
