Los Angeles Lakers

Los Angeles Lakers guard Patrick Beverley recently spoke about the death threat he received after he caused an injury to Russell Westbrook in the 2013 NBA playoffs.

"I had a ball boy threaten to kill me," Beverley said on his podcast (h/t Orel Dizon of Lakers Daily).

Beverley collided with Westbrook during the first-round playoff matchup between the Houston Rockets and Oklahoma City Thunder in 2013. Westbrook suffered a torn meniscus on the play and was ruled out the rest of the playoffs. Though the Thunder won the series, they eventually lost in the second round one year after reaching the NBA Finals.

The incident led to significant blowback in Oklahoma City, as Beverley explained:

I get to OKC the next game — police officers in front. They put a police car in front of my house in Houston. I get to the hotel. I'm on the floor by myself, police guy at the door. I'm looking. I go out in the morning for tea or coffee, like a Starbucks, police guys with me. They passing out papers with a young guy's face on it, like this big. He threatened to kill. The s— was real.

The feud between Beverley and Westbrook continued over the years, although they are now teammates with the Lakers. At media day, Beverley said the fellow guard is his "best friend" on the team after the trade.

You typically can't trade your best player and get better at the same time, but that's the theory Lamar Odom is proposing for the Los Angeles Lakers.

On his podcast, The LADE Show, Odom asserted the Lakers could get collectively stronger by dealing LeBron James because the trade return would be so large:

Lamar Odom says if the Lakers traded LEBRON, it would put them right back into contention 👀🤔 pic.twitter.com/IkP73Ctuom

— Lakers All Day Everyday (@LADEig) November 16, 2022

This offseason provided a compelling counterargument, however.

When Brooklyn Nets star Kevin Durant requested a trade over the summer, many expected a feeding frenzy to commence. Rival franchises would surely bend over backward to land one of the best players in the NBA.

Then reality set in. ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported in August that "teams did not make the kind of roster-gutting offers that was necessary to trade a player of his stature."

The calculus would be the exact same with James because his age, 37, gives you an even shorter window for contention. James has also shown over the last few years he can't single-handedly carry a team into the postseason, either.

If you were putting together a trade around LeBron, then you'd have to build the deal around valuable draft picks because you simply could not afford to trade two or three of your best players.

You'd wind up in the exact same predicament the Lakers are facing.

As much as Odom might hope for otherwise, it's difficult to see another general manager providing Los Angeles with the kind of lifeline he discussed.

Who are the Los Angeles Lakers going to trade, who will they get in return and when is it going to happen? Those are the questions many are asking during the Lakers' disappointing 3-10 start to the 2022-23 NBA campaign.

For good reason. Los Angeles' season is quickly heading in the wrong direction. And with each loss, it will become less likely that the team gets back to the playoffs after missing out last season.

But that's not the only way the Lakers can improve their roster. They could also scour the free-agent market for potential additions who could help fill some of the squad's holes.

According to NBA insider Marc Stein, that's what Los Angeles may have been doing of late. Stein recently reported that the Lakers have "looked at free agents for a potential in-season roster boost."

Among those players were guard Tony Snell and forwards Maurice Harkless and Joe Wieskamp, per Stein. However, it doesn't seem like any of them signing with Los Angeles is imminent.

"The sense I got after spending the past week in L.A. is that their preference is to wait for the returns of Dennis Schroder and Thomas Bryant before making judgments that could lead to changes," Stein wrote.

Neither Schroder nor Bryant has played yet this season after both underwent thumb surgery. So it makes sense that the Lakers may want to see how their rotation looks with those two key players in the mix, which could be soon. Mike Trudell of the team's official website reported that Schroder and Bryant may both be back in action for Friday's game against the Detroit Pistons.

It's also worth noting that any potential free-agent acquisition for Los Angeles isn't likely to be someone who will be playing a large number of minutes. The players who the Lakers reportedly looked at would likely be further down the bench and wouldn't make that much of an impact, especially if Schroder and Bryant return and stay healthy.

That's not to say Los Angeles shouldn't make any in-season moves. It just may make more sense for it to explore the trade market so its roster can undergo more substantial changes.

If the Lakers believe they can stay in the playoff race, maybe they'd decide they're willing to part with more draft picks. If they can't, perhaps they try to acquire more draft capital. Either way, they may want to move point guard Russell Westbrook, who hasn't been a great fit in their lineup over the past two seasons.

Would a free-agent signing make Los Angeles' bench deeper? Yes. But that's not the type of move that's likely to spark a huge turnaround for the team.

That's not saying the Lakers shouldn't consider bringing in any of those types of players. But they need to make a bigger move than that, or else it's becoming clear how the rest of this season is likely to go.

The Los Angeles Lakers didn't have LeBron James (groin) against the Brooklyn Nets on Sunday. However, they still managed to pick up a win thanks to a strong showing by Anthony Davis.

Davis finished with 37 points and 18 rebounds, as the Lakers rolled to a 116-103 victory.

The win put an end to L.A.'s latest losing streak, but at 3-10, the Lakers still appear to be long shots to make the NBA postseason this year. A trade, however, could change the trajectory, and the Lakers could find an enticing trade package in Detroit.

According to Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports, the Lakers have had an eye on sharpshooter Bojan Bogdanović since before the Detroit Pistons acquired him from the Utah Jazz:

"After the Utah Jazz dispatched Royce O’Neale, Rudy Gobert and then Donovan Mitchell across the map, rival front offices expected Bogdanovic’s inevitable departure to deliver another of Utah’s proven postseason performers to a team with contending aspirations. The Lakers certainly called, sources told Yahoo Sports."

There are a couple of reasons why making a run at Bogdanović would be logical for the Lakers. The first is that the 33-year-old is flourishing as a shooter in Detroit. Bogdanović has made 43 percent of his shots from beyond the arc and a whopping 50.5 percent from the floor.

That's a level of shooting consistency that the Lakers lack.

The second reason is that, as Fischer outlined on Friday, a trade package could theoretically include another player who has previously interested the Lakers, Alec Burks.

"Were the Lakers to circle back on Bogdanovic, his deal alongside Alec Burks’—whom New York discussed with Los Angeles at last year's deadline, per sources—plus Nerlens Noel’s $9 million salary, would meet Russell Westbrook’s large number," Fischer wrote.

Noel would largely be a throw-in, but Burks could be an intriguing option. He's working his way back from foot surgery and has only appeared in one game this season, but the 31-year-old topped 40 percent from three-point range in each of his last three seasons.

Fischer noted that Los Angeles would likely have to surrender point guard Russell Westbrook and a first-round pick in a trade, and this isn't the first time we've heard of a Westbrook-for-Bogdanović trade proposal.

Last month, Kevin O'Connor of The Ringer reported that L.A. had offered a package that included Russell Westbrook, a future first-round pick and second-rounders in a potential deal for Bogdanović. With Burks also possibly in the mix, this is a trade that the Lakers must at least reconsider.

Yes, Westbrook has started to carve out a role as L.A.s sixth man—though he was far less effective (4-of-15) on Sunday. However, the Lakers' best chance of success would come from having quality shooting around Davis and James, who can create space on the perimeter.

This was a strategy the Lakers employed during their run to the 2020 championship, during which Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Danny Green, Quinn Cook and Avery Bradley all shot above 36 percent from the three-point line.

This season, Matt Ryan and Austin Reaves are the only Lakers shooting better than 36 percent while attempting one or more three-pointers per game. Opposing teams haven't had to worry about the long ball on a consistent basis. Adding Burks and Bogdanović could change that.

The big question, of course, is whether the Lakers still believe this season is salvageable. Sunday's win was nice, but L.A. still holds the second-worst record in the Western Conference. Abandoning a future first-round pick only makes sense if the Lakers believe they can turn things around in a hurry.

While it's not clear how the front office views the team's chances this season, it appears that several key players would like to see a win-now move made, possibly one involving L.A.'s 2027 and 2029 first-round picks. According to Bleacher Report's Chris Haynes, James is chief among them:

"James, who turns 38 next month and is in Year 20 of his NBA career, does not want to waste a season of his high-level playing days in hopes of incoming reinforcements for the 2023-24 campaign, sources say. Other core players on the roster would likewise prefer those picks to be used to elevate this year’s team."

However, Haynes also reported that the front office is "unlikely" to attach L.A.'s future first-rounders in a deal. If acquiring Burks and Bogdanović only requires one of them, perhaps a deal with Detroit could serve as an ideal compromise.

A deal for, say, Buddy Hield and Myles Turner of the Indiana Pacers would likely require both first-round picks.

Current offer on the table is Russell Westbrook + 2027 1st for Myles Turner + Buddy Hield, per @bkravitz on @JMV1070 today. The Pacers will accept if the Lakers also include their 2029 1st. https://t.co/8lmbWz3C03

— Evan Sidery (@esidery) July 22, 2022

If the Lakers could get Bogdanović and Burks for a single first-rounder, it would add the shooting help L.A. needs while preserving a valuable bit of capital for a future move—or the seemingly unlikely option of drafting in the first round.

It's a trade that the Lakers have to consider, as it would strike a balance between trying to win now, planning for next season and appeasing core players like James.

Interestingly, Los Angeles will get a firsthand look at Bogdanović and Burks when it hosts the Pistons on Friday.

Nets forward Kevin Durant had nothing but praise for LeBron James and Russell Westbrook following the Los Angeles Lakers' 116-103 win over Brooklyn on Sunday.

"Top-two player to ever play, top-three player to ever play. It's always going to be excitement when he steps on the floor," Durant said of James, who sat out Sunday's game with a groin injury. "We've been around for so long that people have seen so many battles between us too at a high stage that people look forward to it. It's cool that we're still relevant at an old age."

Nets’ Kevin Durant on Lakers’ LeBron James: “It’s just cool that we’re still relevant at an older age.” pic.twitter.com/SXRsjEFpxx

— Ben Golliver (@BenGolliver) November 14, 2022

Durant also threw a good-natured barb at Westbrook, who finished with 14 points, 12 assists, six rebounds and one viral first-quarter block of his former teammate.

"He's just going to hack me the whole time," Durant joked of Westbrook's defense. "We've been doing that s--t since we was 18, 19. But more than anything, to see the role Russ is playing right now, he's just affecting the game in so many different ways. Twelve assists tonight, four turnovers, 14 points, he came in and put his imprint on the game, so it's always fun playing against him, regardless of what setting it is. It's always been like that between us."

Nets’ Kevin Durant on being defended by Lakers’ Russell Westbrook: “He’s just going to hack me the whole time. He’s been doing that s—- since we were 18 or 19.” pic.twitter.com/gQftOpeb90

— Ben Golliver (@BenGolliver) November 14, 2022

The win snapped a five-game losing streak for the Lakers, who entered Sunday night as one of the two worst teams in basketball. They are now just the fourth-worst team in the sport, which is faint praise for a roster featuring three bona fide Hall of Famers.

Durant has spent the early part of his Nets season embroiled in controversy, some of which (the lingering effects of his trade request) was his own doing but most of which (Kyrie Irving's sharing of an antisemitic movie and subsequent fallout, the firing of coach Steve Nash) was not.

The Nets are 6-8 on the season but 4-2 in their last six games.

The Los Angeles Lakers snapped a five-game losing streak on Sunday night at Crypto.com Arena with an 116-103 win over the Brooklyn Nets, improving to 3-10 on the season.

While LeBron James was sidelined with a left adductor strain, Anthony Davis took command of the Purple and Gold offense, finishing with 37 points, 18 rebounds and two assists, outdueling Kevin Durant, who finished with 31 points, nine rebounds, seven assists and two blocks.

Davis made 15-of-25 shots from the floor in 34 minutes to help lift L.A. to victory.

Lonnie Walker IV also had an impressive performance, finishing with 25 points and one rebound in 30 minutes.

The Lakers have struggled mightily this season, but seeing Davis take command to lift the team to victory on Sunday night earned him some rave reviews on Twitter:

Anthony Davis is annihilating the Nets. Best game I’ve seen from AD in a minute.

— Robin Lundberg (@robinlundberg) November 14, 2022

woooo KD and AD going shot-for-shot right now like it’s all-star weekend.

— Rob Perez (@WorldWideWob) November 14, 2022

Terrific offensive performance from @AntDavis23 thus far. He's not settling at all, with 18 of his 19 field goal attempts coming in the paint.

He made his only jumper, and is 11 for 18 inside towards 28 points (4 of 4 FT's).

Nets have had nothing for him inside.

— Mike Trudell (@LakersReporter) November 14, 2022

Anthony Davis is not respecting Brooklyn's defense today. The difference between taking what the defense gives and going out and taking what he wants.

— Kyle Goon (@kylegoon) November 14, 2022

Why can’t we get more of this Anthony Davis !!! My God.

— Kendrick Perkins (@KendrickPerkins) November 14, 2022

Can we get this AD every night? Whew. My dog.

— Ry (@JustRyCole) November 14, 2022

Anthony Davis, @uncledanny24's favorite player, has 35 points and 17 rebounds tonight. Just put the Lakers up 17 with a putback dunk. Nets have had no answer for him tonight.

— Alex Schiffer (@Alex__Schiffer) November 14, 2022

https://twitter.com/DrGuru_/status/1592016139517071362

Dominant performance from Anthony Davis. 37 pts 18 Boards.

— Brian (@brianhandall) November 14, 2022

It will be interesting to see if Davis and the Lakers can keep the momentum once James returns to the lineup, whenever that might be.

At this point, the Purple and Gold are far from being playoff contenders, but Sunday's game is at least a sign of life. They'll look to post their second straight win when they host the Detroit Pistons on Friday.

The walls are closing in on the Los Angeles Lakers, and NBA executives are starting to wonder if it's time to move on from Anthony Davis and LeBron James.

"They need to think about moving LeBron and Anthony Davis," an executive told Ric Bucher of Fox Sports. "They just have too many holes to fill."

The Lakers cannot trade James until after the 2022-23 season because of the two-year extension he signed in August. Davis is eligible to be moved now, though the Lakers have given no indication they're considering such a drastic step.

Chris Haynes of Bleacher Report reported the Lakers have not had any conversations with teams interested in Davis. Any consideration of trading James would be a moot point during this season, but it's unlikely the Lakers would move on unless the four-time MVP requested a deal.

While James is adamant he wants to compete for a championship in his 20th NBA season, there are extenuating circumstances that make him want to remain on the West Coast. His business ventures are based in Los Angeles, and his family has put down roots in the city since he signed with the Lakers in 2018.

The Lakers are losers of five straight games and sit at 2-10. The Houston Rockers are the only team with a worse record, and the Detroit Pistons are the only team with a worse point differential.

Father Time has, to some extent, caught up to James as he approaches his 38th birthday. His per-game numbers remain spectacular (24.9 points, 8.8 rebounds, 6.9 assists), but he's shooting just 45.7 percent from the floor and getting to the line a career-low 4.8 times per game. It was clear James' athleticism had waned even before he suffered a groin injury in Wednesday's loss to the Clippers.

Davis, meanwhile, is not a player capable of single-handedly carrying a team to greatness. The Lakers hoped he would be able to bridge these final years of James' career to a new generation of competitiveness, and it's become clear Davis does not have the necessary next gear. He's a stellar second option but not a guy who will carry a team far as the 1A option.

The Lakers are at a crossroads with no good options in front of them.

With the Los Angeles Lakers limping to a 2-10 start, the trade rumors have begun in earnest, and not just involving Russell Westbrook.

One Western Conference scout told Ric Bucher of Fox Sports that the Phoenix Suns would be the perfect landing spot for LeBron James should the Lakers blow things up at some point.

"It’s the one place he’d be welcome with open arms," the scout said. "In Phoenix, with LeBron, I think Chris [Paul] would finally get his ring."

It's hard to imagine the Lakers dealing James without him requesting a trade, though perhaps that isn't farfetched given the team's awful start to the 2022-23 season.

The Western Conference scout who spoke with Bucher believes the Lakers need some sort of foundational trade, and trading James isn't the only one he'd consider.

"They need to think about moving LeBron and Anthony Davis," he said. "They just have too many holes to fill."

The Lakers, however, are rarely in the business of trading away star players. Traditionally, they have been the franchise that adds them, either via free agency or trade. It would go against character for the Lakers to move James and AD unless both requested a new destination.

And the Suns would have to send back close to $46.9 million in salary to match James' contract next offseason (James isn't eligible to be traded this season). Would the Lakers be interested in a deal centered on Deandre Ayton ($32.4 million), additional salary and draft considerations?

If they are in full rebuild mode, getting back an appealing young player like Ayton and a few first-round picks wouldn't be a bad place to start.

It's just hard to imagine the Lakers punting on the duo of James and Davis. It still seems more likely, even with the giant hole the team has dug for itself, that they'll look to make a move to trade Westbrook first and add more shooting around their two stars.

Perhaps the Lakers should be considering a rebuild—but that just wouldn't be like the Lakers.

The Los Angeles Lakers are 2-9 entering Friday's home matchup against the Sacramento Kings. That's not where the team expected to be early in the 2022-23 NBA season, and it's definitely not where it wanted to be.

If the Lakers are going to get back on track, they may need to make a trade or two to improve their roster. If they eventually decide this season may not be worth trying to salvage, then maybe they could swing a deal to acquire draft capital.

Either way, there's a good chance Los Angeles will be active between now and the trade deadline on Feb. 9. So, it makes sense that there have been a ton of rumors regarding the Lakers' potential moves early in the season.

Los Angeles doesn't have much draft capital in the way of first-round picks, as it has only two of those selections the rest of the decade (2027 and 2029). And that's reportedly been causing some hesitancy from the team heading into negotiations, per B/R's Chris Haynes.

"With the team’s trajectory trending south, sources indicate the front office is unlikely to attach those picks to a potential trade out of concern that such a transaction would not significantly change the course of the season," Haynes wrote.

LeBron James sees it a bit differently. The 37-year-old "does not want to waste a season of his high-level playing days in hopes of incoming reinforcements for the 2023-24 campaign," according to Haynes, who reported that other core Lakers players are feeling the same way.

So, if Los Angeles tries to improve and win now, who might it target?

Two popular names in rumors have been Myles Turner and Buddy Hield, as it's been expected that the Indiana Pacers could be a trade partner for the Lakers for a potential Russell Westbrook deal. But that may not materialize anytime soon.

"It is not universally believed internally that a trade for Indiana Pacers center Myles Turner and sharpshooter Buddy Hield would move the needle to title contention," Haynes wrote.

A player who could do that, though, is Washington Wizards shooting guard Bradley Beal. That is, if he would be willing to waive his full no-trade clause to come to Los Angeles.

Haynes reported that the 29-year-old is a player the Lakers are "known to covet." And for good reason. He's a three-time All-Star who has put up big scoring totals when healthy over his 11-year NBA career, all of which has been spent in Washington.

Should Beal be interested in coming to the Lakers, that is the best possible trade the team could make. He still has plenty of productive years ahead of him, and he would immediately make Los Angeles better.

It would likely come at a high cost, so the Lakers would have to be OK with that. But he's more of a difference-maker than the duo of Turner and Hield would likely be.

So, if Los Angeles insists on staying in win-now mode and changes its mind about trading its draft picks in the process, Beal is the best target. He's not only a great scorer, but he also would give the Lakers a boost on the perimeter, which has been a weak area of late.

If Los Angeles wants to keep its draft picks and make a move with an eye toward the future, though, it shouldn't pursue either of these rumored deals. Instead, it may want to look for lower-salary players and draft picks that could help it build moving forward.

For months, the Los Angeles Lakers have been a part of trade buzz involving Russell Westbrook. And in most of those rumors, the Lakers are projected to land a star player or two in return.

Maybe Westbrook would get dealt to the Brooklyn Nets in exchange for Kyrie Irving. Or perhaps Westbrook could end up going to the Indiana Pacers, who would send back Myles Turner and/or Buddy Hield.

Here's a new one: What if Los Angeles sent Westbrook to the San Antonio Spurs in exchange for Josh Richardson and Doug McDermott?

That's a rumored deal that's been featured in some recent buzz. According to LJ Ellis of Spurs Talk, the Lakers have "targeted" a trade for Richardson and McDermott. In that scenario, San Antonio would then buy out Westbrook's contract, making him a free agent, per Ellis.

So, what's the hang-up on this one?

"Talks haven’t gained traction because the Lakers are only willing to relinquish a pair of second-round picks in return for both players," Ellis wrote.

It makes sense that the Lakers wouldn't want to part with a first-round pick to land Richardson and McDermott. If they were going to deal one of those selections, they'd likely want a true star player in return.

In fact, Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium recently reported that Los Angeles is "moving in a direction" in which it will "resist moving first-round picks if the season continues to go down this path." The Lakers also own only two first-rounders for the rest of this decade (2027 and 2029).

But Los Angeles would be wise to continue to pursue Richardson and/or McDermott and try to land at least one of the two in a trade without giving up either of those first-round picks. Maybe that could be done by the Lakers moving a package that includes a solid player or two and some second-round selections, but that isn't clear.

It's no secret that Los Angeles doesn't have enough shooters on its roster in order to have success. That's among the reasons why the Lakers have gotten off to a 2-9 start, which includes an active four-game losing streak.

Richardson shot 41.5 percent from three-point range over 65 games last season, and the 29-year-old wing player is shooting 42.6 percent from beyond the arc in 11 games so far in the 2022-23 campaign. He also averaged double-digit points each of the previous six seasons.

McDermott is a career 41 percent three-point shooter over nine NBA seasons. And the 30-year-old would be another player who would give Los Angeles more efficiency from the perimeter, which it needs.

These are the types of players who the Lakers should be targeting. They need to find the right complementary pieces to LeBron James and Anthony Davis, rather than seeking another big star who may not fit as well in their lineup.

It hasn't worked with the trio of James, Davis and Westbrook, and it doesn't seem like it's going to. Los Angeles has even tried moving Westbrook to the bench, but that still hasn't led to wins.

The Lakers would be a better, more well-rounded team if they replaced Westbrook with Richardson and McDermott. But, again, they shouldn't make that move if the cost is a first-round draft pick.

But if Los Angeles can land either of those two strong shooters (or both) at the right price, they would make the Lakers a much more complete team.