In the short term, the Lakers will secure a spot in the Western Conference play-in tournament through the silent trade deadline, while moving on to sign former Nets guard Spencer Dinwiddie once he clears waivers. It will be. Per ESPN.
However, as Los Angeles looks to revamp its roster around LeBron James this offseason, potential trade targets include Donovan Mitchell of the Cavaliers, Trae Young of the Hawks, and Kyrie of the Mavericks. There are three Irvings. According to The Athletic.
Dinwiddie was released by the Raptors after the Nets sent him to Toronto in exchange for Thaddeus Young (who was also waived after the deal) and Dennis Schroder, and after his release, the 30-year-old was scheduled to play in the Mavericks vs. Knicks game. Participated in. Los Angeles hosts the Pelicans on Friday at Madison Square Garden, sitting next to agent Jason Grushon and Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka.
The deal with the Lakers after clearing waivers allows Dinwiddie to play for his hometown team, in exchange for returning to Dallas, where he spent the end of the 2021-22 season and the beginning of the season, alongside James and Anthony Davis. I will choose the opportunity to play with him. before being traded to the Nets at the deadline last season.
The days and weeks leading up to the Feb. 8 deadline have been a strange period for the Lakers. After the loss to the Hawks on January 30th, rumors spread after James slammed the Lakers for their inconsistency and tweeted an hourglass.
Agent Rich Paul later clarified that James had not requested a trade and would not be traded before the deadline, but a few days later, in a postgame interview after the Lakers’ victory at the Garden, James brought a Knicks towel. ESPN reporter Brian Windhorst called the move “a way to put pressure on the Lakers.”
Dinwiddie won’t solve all of Los Angeles’ problems this season.
He will average just 12.6 points and six assists per game at the start of the 2023-24 season, seeing his role diminish until Dinwiddie scores fewer than nine points in five of his final eight games with the Nets. and continued to decline.
However, with three first-round picks available in trades this offseason, the Lakers will have Young (27.3 points per game, three All-Star selections) and Mitchell (28.5 points per game, five All-Star selections). A combination of these may be attempted. First time with James.
Or Pelinka might see if James and Irving can rekindle the chemistry they had when they were teammates and won titles in Cleveland before their ugly divorce.
“Having one first-round draft pick was the only hook,” Pelinka told reporters Thursday, according to The Athletic. “And in June of this summer, at the time of the draft, we have three first-round draft picks to look for deals. This really opens up access to potentially bigger or bigger swings. I think you can.”
“And we didn’t want to shoot a small bullet now that would only lead to marginal improvements at the expense of creating a potentially larger and more impactful movement in June and July.”
