Adjustments will be made to the Los Angeles Lakers’ roster following an uninspiring playoff performance.
This summer, contributors like Austin Reaves and Rui Hachimura will likely be Los Angeles's primary trade bait assets. However, Clutch Points’ Bailey Bassett has a different idea for the franchise.
Bassett believes the Lakers could trade Luka Doncic to the Oklahoma City Thunder in free agency for various assets.
"Considering that a team like the Thunder exist, the Mavericks should have never been doing business with the Lakers during Doncic trade talks to begin with. Oklahoma City has a near-unlimited supply of draft capital due to the greatest rebuild in NBA history,” Bassett wrote Thursday.
"They had the best record in the regular season and are fresh off of sweeping the Memphis Grizzlies in round-one, so nobody would be surprised if they won the NBA Finals this year. The team's roster is so deep that they won't be able to use all of their future draft picks with rosters being limited to 15 players.”
"The team's surplus of picks means that they can outbid anybody via trade, though, so they might as well dangle seven first-round picks in front of the Lakers for Doncic's services, even if they do win the championship this year.”
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Bassett’s massive trade proposal sends Doncic to the Thunder for Lu Dort, Aaron Wiggins, Kenrich Williams, Ousmane Dieng, Nikola Topic, three 2025 first-round picks, a 2026 first-round pick, a 2027 first-round pick, a 2029 first-round pick, and a 2031 unprotected first-round pick.
Anything is possible in today’s NBA. While Doncic competed with the Dallas Mavericks and Anthony Davis competed with the Lakers, many believed the two superstars were untouchable.
However, when Los Angeles swapped Davis for Doncic on Feb. 2, it was clear that any player in the league could get traded under the right circumstances.
Still, it is highly unlikely that Doncic will be moved for the second time in the same calendar year.
Why complete a controversial midseason deal for a young phenom to part with him during the upcoming free agency period?
Doncic’s defensive shortcomings are problematic, but sending him to the Thunder for role players and draft capital wouldn’t be the wisest move.
The 2018 lottery pick and offensive mastermind should stay put in Los Angeles.
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