Lakers Rumors: Swap Lonzo Ball for Devin Booker and call it a day
By Keith Rivas
The latest Lakers rumors address why a trade for Devin Booker next season in a swap involving Lonzo Ball might not be a bad idea.
With LaVar Ball back being his usual self with some strong-worded statements now about the future of his son on the Los Angeles Lakers, it’s time for the organization to really thoroughly think through how they want this to go for future reference.
On the one hand, the rest of the league has the ability to stand pat and watch this single-handedly destroy Los Angeles from within. Sooner or later, what the elder Ball chooses to say without Lonzo separating his own thoughts from his father is going to cause chaos in the locker room.
Then on the other, there’s teams like the Phoenix Suns who might actually be a good trade partner if things continue to escalate and eventually get out of control. A front office run by someone like Magic Johnson shouldn’t have to put up with LaVar Ball for too long, even if it’s a mess that he got himself into in the first place.
As a piece from USA Today argues, considering a Booker-Ball trade isn’t a far-fetched idea, let alone one that would be bad. Heck, most fans consider the loud mouthed tirades they’ve seen from a little more than half of a season as too much to handle.
So what gives?
The thing about a deal like this is it makes you wonder what the whole justification for trading D’Angelo Russell really was. A scoring guard who was willing to transition to a shooting guard if it was going to help solidify his game and what he brought to the table, but that wasn’t good enough.
Even better, Magic Johnson went as far as to say that he took issue with Russell’s lack of leadership abilities, while maintaining that Lonzo Ball is still the front and center championship piece to the puzzle for the team.
Double standard much?
In any case, trading for Devin Booker (while they still could) would be a fair deal talent wise, and also allow the Lakers to explore their options better in the 2019 free agency situation, depending on when a deal would get done.
Should something happen over the summer — and it’s important to note that there’s nothing to indicate that at this time whatsoever — it could also impact the free agents LA pursues as soon as this summer.
If you’re Magic Johnson, it’s doubtful that you’re going to want LaVar Ball to continue talking the way that he’s been talking if it’s going to hurt your current young core’s chemistry as well as any free agency ambitions that Johnson might’ve had as part of his vision for the future of the Lakers.
What’s key to the Lakers possibly wanting a deal like this at that point in time is the fact that a straight swap without anything added to sweeten the deal would work. Neither guard is at a point where they can demand some ridiculous scenario, and it’d be hardly as drastic of a swap as last summer’s business between Cleveland and Boston.
Next: The Ideal Lakers Squad For The 2018-19 Season
If you’re Los Angeles though, this means that LaVar gets sent out of town — to the desert, of all places — and Lonzo is left with a serious ultimatum if he wants to be happy and continue playing in the NBA.