The Los Angeles Lakers are quickly discovering they don’t possess a roster capable of doing damage in the postseason.
Could trading a 6-foot-6 guard to the Golden State Warriors for an NBA champion forward give the franchise a much-needed boost moving forward? CBS Sports’ Sam Quinn certainly thinks so.
“The Lakers were a surprising addition to the reported list of possible (Jonathan) Kuminga teams, but it actually makes some sense when you think about it,” Quinn wrote Thursday. “The Lakers aren't giving up real assets for anyone right now.”
“They're running out the clock on the LeBron James era and waiting to rebuild their roster over the summer with their three tradable first-round picks and over $50 million in cap space. They won't give up picks or take on long-term money.”
“If they're going to make a move, it's going to be shuffling deck chairs. Send out their expiring contracts for other expiring contracts, ideally with different skill sets. Kuminga has a team option for next season; his deal is effectively expiring. So the swap here would be something like Rui Hachimura and Dalton Knech t for Kuminga.”
While Kuminga may be one of the most realistic trade options for the Lakers, he wouldn’t be a great fit with the 17-time NBA champions. Los Angeles could use assistance with its perimeter shooting and defense, two areas where Kuminga doesn’t excel.
The former lottery pick could be a serviceable second-unit spark plug who has his moments on the hardwood with the Lakers. However, given that Kuminga has essentially been the same flawed player for five years, Los Angeles would be foolish to expect the former lottery pick to be a game-changer upon joining the franchise.
Kuminga, who’s only appeared in 18 contests with the Warriors this season, is averaging 11.8 points nightly while connecting on 43.1% of his field goals and 32.0% of his triples.
It’ll be interesting to see if the Lakers express significant interest in Kuminga as the trade deadline looms closer.
More NBA: Mavericks predicted to trade four-time NBA champion to Warriors for $48.5 million guard