Lakers Rumors: Trades that make sense after D’Angelo Russell deal
By Jason Reed
Perhaps there could be a deal in the mix between the two teams that made shockwaves on Tuesday. Along with the Lakers trading away D’Angelo Russell, the Hornets made a trade of their own to acquire former Laker Dwight Howard. Charlotte sent away Marco Belinelli, Miles Plumlee, and their second round pick in exchange for Howard and the Hawks second round pick.
This is an obvious win-now move for the Hornets, as they decided to take on Dwight Howard’s massive contract. With a fairly thin bench at the power forward position, Charlotte may look to add the likes of the dynamic dunker himself, Larry Nance Jr.
Nance would be a cheap, good, option for the Hornets. They would have to throw in Brian Roberts and his tiny contract to make cap space, but they could benefit greatly from Nance’s services.
As for the Lakers, they would be moving up to the 11th overall selection to perhaps select either shooting guard Luke Kennard or power forward John Collins. After trading away Nance, Collins seems to be the better fit for the Lakers.
His six-foot-ten frame would be huge for this Lakers front court coming off of the bench, especially with his dynamic ability to rebound. Collins averaged 9.8 rebounds per game alongside 19.2 points, planting the seeds to be a double-double machine like Julius Randle.