The Los Angeles Lakers made some moves prior to the trade deadline, with the most notable one sending out leading scorer Lou Williams in exchange for a first round pick and veteran forward Corey Brewer from the Houston Rockets. In this instance, Brewer is something of an afterthought; just an added contract to make the numbers work and satisfy the NBA’s rules on trades.
However, that doesn’t mean that Brewer can’t still have some value to the Lakers. He’s in his tenth year in the league and that kind of experience can greatly help a young team that needs to find its way.
After his Lakers debut against the Oklahoma City Thunder, Brewer spoke about his role on his new team (via Lakers Nation Reporter Serena Winters and Spectrum SportsNet):
Corey Brewer's goals: "Help the young guys, we’ve got a lot of young guys that need a lot of advice, so do what I got to do" (on SPSN).
— Serena Winters (@SerenaWinters) February 25, 2017
Clearly, Brewer understands that his role on the team will largely involve helping to develop the Lakers young players. Over the course of his career, Brewer has built a reputation as a stalwart defender and given Los Angeles’ issues on that end of the floor this season, any advice that he can give will certainly be welcomed.
Additionally, while the Lakers would have preferred to receive an expiring contract in the Williams trade, Brewer’s deal does end after the 2017-2018 season. At $7.8 million and in a league where expiring deals could become popular in trades again under the new Collective Bargaining Agreement, the Lakers could find Brewer’s deal useful in a larger trade this summer or at next year’s trade deadline. Houston’s first-round pick may have been the primary target, but Brewer does provide some positives as well.
