As the NBA offseason gets underway, the Los Angeles Lakers have a number of question marks surrounding what the roster will look like going into the 2021-22 season.
It’s no secret that the ending to this past season was disappointing for the Lakers after being defeated by the Phoenix Suns in the first round. The organization could not have as many as 10 free agents, and while they would like to keep a number of them, it will be interesting to see how different the roster looks at the conclusion of free agency.
In addition to free agency, there are also trades that could be made and the Lakers are already being linked to some players that could be available.
One such player is Cleveland Cavaliers guard Collin Sexton, who the team is willing to shop instead of giving him the max extension that he is reportedly seeking. According to Sam Amico of Hoops Wire, the Lakers are among the teams expressing interest in acquiring Sexton:
Per Hoops Wire sources, the Heat, Knicks, Pelicans, Pacers, Thunder and Lakers are among the teams evaluating a trade for Sexton.
Some of the teams in that group would be willing to take back the contract of Cavs power forward Kevin Love to help make a Sexton trade work, sources said. Others might reach out to third parties to help facilitate a deal. All apparently remain in the exploratory stage and have yet to put together anything resembling a real offer.
As Amico alluded to, Kevin Love is also someone that could be involved in a potential deal, which would bring down the asking price for Sexton considering Love has three years remaining on his four-year, $120 million extension.
Even though Love has a history with LeBron James in Cleveland, his lack of defensive prowess doesn’t exactly fit with Frank Vogel, who is a defense-first coach. He would bring some spacing though, which the Lakers greatly lacked this past season.
If that’s what it takes to get Sexton then it may be worth it for the Lakers as the 22-year-old is coming off the best season of his career, averaging 24.3 points, 3.1 rebounds and 4.4 assists while shooting 47.5% from the field and 37.1% from deep.
While Sexton is not a perfect player by any means, he would give the Lakers that third scorer that they have lacked as well as an extra ball-handler to give James a rest every now and then. He also has youth, which is important when looking past the current core and building for the future.
Potential package for Sexton
As far as what it will take to get Sexton, as previously mentioned, that package would get lighter if Love is included.
The Lakers do not have a ton of assets to work with, but they could put together a package involving Kyle Kuzma, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Montrezl Harrell and potentially a sign-and-trade with either Dennis Schroder or Talen Horton-Tucker. The Lakers also have the 22nd pick in this year’s draft, which would likely need to be included as well for L.A. to compete with the other offers that could be out there.
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