The first trade involves the Lakers , Clippers and Knicks
It's no secret that LA needs to move on from Russell Westbrook. Given the poor fit next to LA's 2 primary stars in LeBron and AD, a change of scenery at this point is the best-case scenario for both sides. The Knicks have had a disappointing campaign of their own. Failing to reach the heights they had set for last season, the knicks now find themselves stocked with long term contracts that don't fit the timeline of their younger players who have contract extensions rapidly approaching. As for the clippers its been no secret that the are in need of a point guard. They've been looking for a facilitator since the beginning of last season when they made the move to acquire rondo ( which clearly didn't pan out as hoped )
Clippers get: Derrick Rose / Kendrick Nunn
The clippers have maintained interest in derrick rose for the past few seasons and were legitamante trade contenders for him back in 2020 although they were beat by the new york knicks for his services. Rose is an extremely skilled veteran guard who continuously looks to make the right play. The development of his outside shot has allowed him to transition effortlessly to the modern game which is a jump that most traditional explosive guards have had a hard time making. Rose has a knack for scoring but has also been an exceptional playmaker for the knicks as well. During his tenure with the organization he showed willingness to play both as a starter and as a reserve. His skillset and experience would be welcome in the clippers locker room. Also coming in this deal is Kendrick nunn. While he hasn't played this season, he is only one year removed from his solid campaign in Miami where he finished second in the rookie of the year race. Nunn gives the clippers a no risk high reward option. If he is healthy he will most certainly find a way to get quality minutes as a scoring guard and if not he's a cheap expiring that can be used as salary filler on other deals or can be waived. The clippers in turn move on from morris who has wildley been rumored to be expendable according to numerous reports around the league. With the depth the clippers have acquired at morris' position and their need for a guard it seems likley they'll look to shop the forward who is set to make 16M next season. Morris himself fanned the flames on these rumors after liking a tweet suggesting that the sixers trade for him.
Lakers get: Marcus Morris / Evan Fournier / Alec Burks
As mentioned above, the biggest need for the lakers now that they have selected their head coach is to facilitate a westbrook trade. His fit alongside LA's stars is questionable leading to a season wherein the lakers fell far short of expectations and wetsbrook himself possibly having his worst statistical season since his rookie year. His contract made him untradable during the season but as an expiring now teams have appeared to warm up to the idea of taking him on if sufficient draft capital is added. Marcus Morris was target of the lakers back in 2020 but declined on dealing for him after the knicks asked for an sbusrd return involving Kuzma, Green and a first round pick. However its clear that they need a player like him. Morris is a tough versatile wing who can space the floor and who brings competitive edge. While he hasn't been to a finals yet, he brings in valuable playoff experience having made deep runs with the Clippers and Celtics. Alec Burks was another player LA had their eyes on during this year's trade deadline. A deal involving the Lakers Raptors and Knicks was discussed wherein LA would acquire reddish and burks while sending out THT to tornoto with dragic and draft capital heading to new york. The deal ultimantley fell apart as Toronto and new york failed to agree on draft compensation but we've established LA's interest in him. And what's not to like? Burks is a constant three point shooter who brings in some solid length as a 2 guard allowing him to defend both backcourt positions and even some wings on occasion. This type of versatility is what made LA so special during their title run in 2020. The price however for taking on these 2 players is evan fournier. A player set to make 18M a season for the next three years. While founrier can be solid, he's wildly inconsistent on both ends of the floor making that contract a massive overpay. You'd hope that he can find some consent shooting in a reserve role where he'd have more time handling the ball or spotting up off of the catch. However all in all, the positives outweigh the negatives for LA in this move.
Knicks get: Russell Westbrook / 2027 FRP
Don't really have much to say here for new york. The knicks failed to meet expectations after overestimating their success the season prior. They locked up players part of that season onto larger long term contracts and made some free agency decisions that many deemed questionable. The point of the matter is the knicks are now stuck with a bevy of veteran contracts such as fournier / rose / burks and noel and that's without even mentioning julius randle's massive extension who don't fit the timeline of their younger players. With Mitchell robinsion looking to get a new contract extension soon with players like RJ, Toppin, Quickley and Grimes soon to follow...things can get expensive for the knicks fast. With reports of jalen brunson likley to remain in DAL and utah preferring to move gobert over Mitchell the knick should pivot from acquiring newer talent to shedding contracts to open up as much flexibility as possible. This deal allows them to do this putting them in a better position financially post the expiration of westbrook's contract when they'd have to extend their younger players. While losing rose and burks can be tough a first round pick I believe is equal value.
Trade 2:
LA gets: Holmes SAC gets: THT / 2nd round pick
Im going to make this as short as I can. After spending big in 2021 to resign holmes in 2021 FA they SAC Kings quickly pivoted after making the controversial Haliburton / Sabonis deal. With Sabonis as the clear cut starting 5, holmes saw a sizable dip in production. This makes him expendable to the kings. A return of Talen and a pick seems like fair value in my eyes. In the case of the Lakers, while I believe in Talen's potential after making the trade above the next goal should be looking to fortify our center position. While AD is certainly at his best playing the 5, the sacrifices he's had to make to play it all the time such as putting on weight have decreased his advantage. It was AD's agility and quickness while playing the 5 that made him so lethal. Bigs simply arent supposed to move the way Davis does. However by putting on weight AD inadvertently reduced the effectiveness of that critical advantage which is why he's looked to lose weight this offseason. Holmes could slot in perfectly as the starting center. He's efficient in the pick and roll, an effective shot blocker and rebounder and he can move surprisingly well on switches as well.
Taxpayer MLE signing: Gary payton II The warriors are in the finals and will once again possibly have the most expensive payroll in the entire league. With poole's and wiggins' extensions coming up as well as the free agency of otto porter golden state will need to make some tough decisions. Like most tax paying teams the only option golden state has for players who don't have bird rights ( porter and payton ) is the taxpayer MLE ( 6.6 M ) and the vet minimum. While payton has been solid all season long between him and porter I believe golden state prefers the latter. Golden state's guard rotation is absolutely loaded between steph, klay and poole. Their wing position however remains in question especially if they elect to move wiggins instead of extending him. That would make porter's 2 way potential at the forward position irreplaceable. Another reason is payton's elbow injury. While it sucks that it plays a role in golden state electing to not give him the teaxpayer MLE its an important factor nonetheless. With the lakers, payton becomes the immediate primary defender against opposing ball handlers. His ability to apply pressure on the ball and force turnovers could open up far more transition opportunities for the Lakers where they are at their absolute best.
Rotation:
Starters: Payton / Burks / James / AD / Holmes Bench: Reaves / Fournier / Morris / Damian Jones Possible third stringers: Carmelo Anthony / Wenyen Gabriel / Stanley Johnson / Dwight Howard