Lakers Rumors: Trades that make sense after D’Angelo Russell deal
By Jason Reed
With the fifth and tenth pick in the 2017 NBA Draft, the Sacramento Kings will likely sum up their backcourt alongside Buddy Hield. This may prompt the team to make some space for their draft picks, and this deal frees up two shooting guards in Aaron Afflalo and Garrett Temple, also giving them a total of four first-round draft picks.
This would allow the Kings to go all in on their rebuild, as they could either select two more late round prospects or even package them together for yet another lottery pick.
As for the Lakers, this gets rid of Luol Deng’s contract, something that will only help them in the long run. Afflalo is owed $12 million next season, and then he is a free agent, with Temple being owed $8 million over each of the next two years. With a player option after this season, Temple could even opt out and free even more space for the Lakers.
Even if Temple stays on the Lakers, he would cost the team $10 million less than Luol Deng would, so this deal becomes an absolute steal. Magic Johnson would effectively be clearing their two biggest headaches from last offseason, without giving up too much.
This also helps the Lakers in the short-term as well. With Russell gone, the Lakers backcourt is fairly thin. This would add bench depth for the Lakers, proving to be a good move now and a good move in the future.