Try not to get all torn up, but the Los Angeles Lakers you’ve come to know — dare I say love? — this season might look different before they take the floor again Friday night at Staples against the Brooklyn Nets.
That’s the hope, at least.
The NBA’s trade deadline is Thursday, high noon. For weeks, Lakers fans have hoped the team might make steps, however incremental, towards the massive rebuilding project in front of them. Rumors of L.A. as-buyers notwithstanding*, this week is (or should be) all about Mitch and Jim hanging the “No reasonable offer refused!” shingle on the front gate in El Segundo, trying to move as much inventory off the lot as possible. And let’s not be picky, here. Would it be great for L.A. to get a first round draft pick for Jordan Hill? Yes! To turn Steve Nash’s expiring deal into some young talent capable of growing with a revitalized roster? You bet! But if all that’s available is a distant second rounder, some obscure prospect with seven consonants between each vowel, and (or) some Chipotle gift certificates?
Chipotle is delicious.
*The Lakers are supposedly interested in the bad idea of trading for Goran Dragic. First, the Lakers can’t afford to part with anything of value for a guy they can try to sign this offseason. Second, unless Suns GM Ryan McDonough misplaces his frontal lobe between now and Thursday, the parts the Lakers have available at Dragic’s salary level — think Jordan Hill (currently injured), Steve Nash, Jeremy Lin — aren’t going to get ‘er done. Third, acquiring Dragic might actually make the Lakers a couple games better down the stretch, jeopardizing their lottery position. A pick they’d give to Phoenix, if it falls outside the top five. For that reason alone, the Lakers should be suspicious if McDonough even entertains the concept.
Chances are the Lakers don’t do much of significance ahead of the deadline, but you never know. Two team trades could be tough to engineer, but L.A. is surely looking for opportunities to play middle man facilitating multiple-team deals, picking up a goodie or two for the trouble. As they say with recycling, every little bit counts, and it only takes one GM doing something stupid to completely change the landscape. But those things are hard to predict. For now, it’s about evaluating the talent on hand, so with that in mind, below are the official** trade value metrics for every Lakers player.
**Not really.
BEGIN SLIDESHOW: Jordan Hill’s Overall Tradeability Score: Who Could Go?
Jordan Hill: Last week, someone on Twitter earnestly suggested to me the Lakers were calling Hill injured more in air quotes than reality, so that he wouldn’t sustain some type of real injury that could hurt his trade value. This makes no sense, but indicates the lengths to which some fans are going to see the bright side of things. Hill is a good player, no question, but in an era of shorter contracts and soon-to-be-rising cap figures once the new TV deal kicks in, his status as a potential $9 million expiring contract (Hill has a team option for next season) has less appeal than it did say, seven years ago. If the Lakers are unwilling to take back a contract with any sort of long-term commitment, moving Hill gets even harder. And if they’re not really interesting in moving him at all, it’s a moot point.
OVERALL TRADEABILITY SCORE (1-100): 71
[divide]NEXT: Jeremy Lin’s Overall Tradeability Score: Who Could Go?
Jeremy Lin: Last week, I referred to the market for L.A.’s backup PG as “Lindifferent.” This week, I’m wishing I’d saved that joke. People know who Lin is, what he can do, what he can’t, and what style best suits him. Nobody’s waiting around for Linsanity anymore, but it’s possible a team might think he’s worth a second rounder to bolster the backcourt rotation down the stretch and into the playoffs. Given his inconsistency, though, it’s hard to say which one. We’ve seen significant injuries to PG’s in Detroit and Milwaukee, and yet Lin remains a Laker (very much of the one-and-done variety). It’s a shame Mike D’Antoni didn’t get the Sacramento gig.
OTS: 50
[divide]NEXT: Nick Young’s Overall Tradeability Score: Who Could Go?
Nick Young: In theory, Swaggy P could become Swaggy T(rade) without excessive mountain moving. Young has a clearly defined, useful skill (scoring), his contract isn’t THAT expensive, will seem even cheaper after the cap rises, and entering this season his curb appeal had never been higher. Fair to say, last year’s progress has been totally undone by this year’s performance. In fact, it’s wholly reasonable say Young’s future value to the Lakers (whether as a player or trade bait) hinges entirely on the quality of nookie he received from Iggy over Valentine’s Day weekend. (Evidence presented here suggests Iggy understands the significance of her role.)
OTS: 38
[divide]NEXT: Steve Nash’s Overall Tradeability Score: Who Could Go?
Steve Nash: Unless the Lakers are willing to take on a longer-term contract in exchange for Nash’s expiring deal it doesn’t have any real value, particularly since he won’t even play for his new team. But in the end, it’s appropriate the Lakers won’t extract even a small benefit from Nash’s contract, lest they taint the unblemished failure of arguably the greatest “at the time, it sure seemed like a good idea” ideas in modern NBA history.
OTS: 27 (33.71, Canadian)
[divide]NEXT: Ed Davis’ Overall Tradeability Score: Who Could Go?
Ed Davis: Now we’re talking! A young, talented, productive player many teams would totally love to have. He doesn’t make much ($1 million), making the salary math fairly uncomplicated. Still, unless Davis chooses the NBA version of a Franciscan vow of poverty, he’ll decline his million dollar player option for next season and hit unrestricted free agency. The team trading for Davis has no real inside track to keep him, including Bird rights, mitigating his value. Davis has talked about staying in L.A. and the Lakers like him. I’d be surprised if he’s dealt, but are the Lakers be willing to give him a deal eating into their future cap space? That’s the part I find most interesting.
OTS: 79
[divide]NEXT: Ryan Kelly/Tarik Black’s Overall Tradeability Score: Who Could Go?
Ryan Kelly/Tarik Black: The only type of player Kelly/Black could fetch at this point would be either a) a very speculative late second round pick with which the Lakers would be happy drafting someone of Kelly/Black’s ability, or b) a current NBA player who is as good as Ryan Kelly/Tarik Black. Might as well keep the one(s) they have.
OTS: 60
[divide]NEXT: Wesley Johnson’s Overall Tradeability Score: Who Could Go?
Wesley Johnson: Ask yourself, “What would I trade for 30 games of Wes Johnson before he becomes a free agent?”
OTS: 24
[divide]NEXT: Jordan Clarkson’s Overall Tradeability Score: Who Could Go?
Jordan Clarkson: Young, cheap, still-growing talent. Every organization in the league likes those adjectives in front of that noun. If a team wants Clarkson and is willing to overpay, the Lakers would and should listen. But realistically, all the stuff making teams want Clarkson are the reasons the Lakers would keep him, so ultimately, there’s no realistic chance he’s traded.
OTS: 80
[divide]NEXT: Carlos Boozer’s Overall Tradeability Score: Who Could Go?
Carlos Boozer: CBA rules say a player picked up off amnesty waivers can’t be traded that season, one more reason signing the guy was such an infuriating thing to do. I’m physiologically unable to pass up an opportunity to point this out.
OTS: Angry emoji.
[divide]NEXT: Kobe Bryant’s Overall Tradeability Score: Who Could Go?
Kobe Bryant: Hehehehehehehehe.
OTS: -138
[divide]NEXT: Wayne Ellington’s Overall Tradeability Score: Who Could Go?
Wayne Ellington: He’s been a stealth showcase over the last couple weeks, with positive results. In the five games leading to the break, Ellington averaged 15.4 points and 4.6 rebounds, shooting about 40 percent from 3-point range. While not a world beater by any measure, the steady Ellington provides something coaches covet – predictability. Plus, he comes with minimal salary, fits just about anywhere, and wouldn’t demand much in return. A team looking for a low cost way add backcourt depth and perimeter shooting (Ellington was over 42 percent last year in Dallas) could find Ellington appealing.
OTS: 75
[divide]NEXT: Ronnie Price’s Overall Tradeability Score: Who Could Go?
Ronnie Price: Squint real hard, and you can see a scenario in which some team wants a veteran, break-glass-in-case-of-emergency third point guard. But would Byron let him go?
OTS: 23
[divide]NEXT: Robert Sacre’s Overall Tradeability Score: Who Could Go?
Robert Sacre: The metrics show Sacre as a low-level big capable of creating a career around solid defense. The Lakers could do worse than having him as their third center for the next half-decade or so. This is not the stuff of deadline trades.
OTS: 38
And there you have it. As you can tell, I’m coming down on the side of sound and fury, signifying nothing… and I’m really not counting on much sound and fury, either.
Then again, I didn’t see Pau Gasol coming, so there’s always hope!