The biggest move for the Los Angeles Lakers this offseason, and arguably the biggest in the entire NBA, was the team dealing for superstar point guard Russell Westbrook. Along with the guard, the Lakers are also set to receive a pair of future second-round draft picks in the deal.
With free agency getting started, however, teams have been making a number of moves that require some other roster tinkering, and that includes the Wizards. Washington agreed to a deal with former Brooklyn Nets point guard Spencer Dinwiddie but would need to pull off a sign-and-trade with them to do so.
Rather than make separate deals, the Wizards wanted to expand the trade, which is now a five-team deal involving the Lakers. According to Fred Katz of The Athletic, the Wizards will now send an extra second-rounder to the Lakers in order to help expand the initial trade:
Sources: The Wizards are also sending Chicago’s 2023 second-round pick to the Lakers in the five-team mega deal in addition to the 2024 second-rounder & 2028 second-rounder they were already sending.
That means Washington is trading five second-rounders along with a 2nd-rd swap.
— Fred Katz (@FredKatz) August 5, 2021
This was a shrewd move for the Lakers to make as the Wizards really needed some help in order to make their Dinwiddie deal go through. Rob Pelinka was able to leverage that situation into another draft pick, which could come in handy in a number of ways, especially as it will come much sooner than the other ones they were set to receive.
The Lakers could use it possibly in a trade for another player, or combine a couple to possibly move up in a future draft. Push comes to shove, they will simply have another pick in the second round to add a player they have their eye on which has paid them great dividends in recent years.
Regardless of what comes of the pick itself, it was an intelligent move by the Lakers to get some extra draft capital from a team that needed some help. The Wizards were the team who took on the Lakers’ extra contracts a couple of years ago so that the team could complete the Anthony Davis trade, so now L.A. is just returning the favor.
LeBron James calls out Lakers roster criticism in deleted tweet
Aside from Westbrook, the Lakers also made a number of free agency additions with many of them being veterans in their 30s. The likes of Carmelo Anthony, Trevor Ariza, Wayne Ellington and Dwight Howard are all on the latter half of their career and many wonder if the team is now too old.
But LeBron James seemed to take some offense to all of the criticism the roster is receiving in a now-deleted tweet. James, obviously a believer in the talent the Lakers have assembled, simply called for those criticizing to keep the same energy once the season begins.
LeBron obviously has plans on getting this roster right back to the top of the NBA and he doesn’t want anyone changing their tune when that time comes.
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