Lakers trade rumors: Avery Bradley for Jordan Clarkson should happen

Guard Jordan Clarkson may be on his way out, at least if the latest Lakers trade rumors come to fruition. A new trade candidate may emerge for Clarkson’s services.

Jordan Clarkson has been one of the best, most consistent young Lakers over the past few seasons. The second-round pick’s success was quite surprising and earned him a four-year, $50 million contract prior to last season. Now, despite his talent, Clarkson’s contract no longer fits the Lakers’ budget. Hence, the Lakers trade rumors around Clarkson were born.

The most likely fit for Jordan Clarkson is not on a contending team, nor a rebuilding team. Instead, Clarkson’s best new home would be a team in between. A playoff caliber that could use the talent but also needs control and youth. That upside must outweigh the contract cost for such a team.

While the Cavs were reportedly interested and multiple other scenarios have been presented, the most realistic opportunity may now be a possibility. Enter the Detroit Pistons and Avery Bradley.

The Pistons acquired Avery Bradley in a trade for Marcus Morris with the Boston Celtics prior to this season. Bradley has been solid for the Pistons and has been a big part of their success. So far, Bradley is averaging 15.0 points, 2.4 rebounds and 2.1 assists to go along with great defense.

However, Bradley is an unrestricted free agent after this year. While he is helping the Pistons this season, his future in Detroit is unclear. Even with him in 2018, the Pistons are still missing pieces to contend with the Cavaliers, Wizards and Celtics.

Thus, with the NBA trade deadline approaching, the Pistons may be looking to get something out of Bradley. Per Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, the Pistons have made Bradley available in trade talks.

Bradley would be huge for a team like the Cleveland Cavaliers who desperately need defense or the Oklahoma City Thunder, who lost key defender Andre Roberson to a ruptured left patellar tendon.

However, the problem with that is neither side has something that can check the boxes for Detroit. Detroit should be asking for a young guard in exchange that can play now and has the potential to improve in the coming seasons.

OKC has Terrance Ferguson, but his size is especially needed with Roberson out. Plus, he has not shown that he can be a consistent producer over a large span of minutes. The Cavaliers? Well, they have nothing that should interest the Pistons aside from the Nets’ unprotected draft pick. I doubt Dan Gilbert would let his team give up that draft pick for Avery Bradley.

While there definitely are other landing spots for a player like Bradley, it is hard to find a good fit. Teams not in contention are going to be hesitant to give anything significant for just half a season of Bradley. The Pistons are not going to take a terrible trade package for his services, either.

That is why Jordan Clarkson, and his myriad of Lakers trade rumors, make so much sense. Detroit gets an instant replacement to Bradley that is locked down for another two years. Although he is not as good of a defender, Clarkson is versatile and can play both guard positions. His averages — 14.6 points, 2.9 rebounds and 3.3 assists — are similar to Bradley’s in eight fewer minutes per game.

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This deal makes sense for Los Angeles as they can do several things with Bradley. First and foremost, Bradley brings veteran experience and will help the team win this season. A big component on why the Lakers may wait until after 2018 to trade Jordan Clarkson is they want to win with no draft pick. Bradley helps them accomplish that.

Then, the Lakers can either re-sign Bradley to entice any potential stars or simply just let him walk for the cap space. Cap Space has been a pivotal storyline around the Lakers all year, this frees up cap space.

This deal is literally too perfect for both sides. Essentially, the two sides are trading guys that are very similar in terms of talent; one gets the longevity that they want, the other gets rid of the contract they don’t need.

Out of all the Lakers trade rumors, this makes the most sense and is the easiest to pull off. Neither side even needs to throw in any other contracts; a straight swap would work, according to ESPN’s NBA Trade Machine.

Next: Eight trade targets for the Los Angeles Lakers

It would be pretty surprising to see the Lakers not capitalize on these rumblings around Avery Bradley. These Lakers trade rumors are definitely worth considering.

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