Los Angeles Lakers: Players worth trading a first-round pick for
By Jason Reed
1. Hassan Whiteside
The Los Angeles Lakers do not really have a long-term plan at center, or at least the long-term plan is not on the roster. The team might have plans of signing a specific player (like DeMarcus Cousins) but the current roster is not built for multiple years at the center position.
The team traded away Ivica Zubac for virtually nothing and both JaVale McGee and Tyson Chandler are free agents this offseason. While the Lakers could bring one of them back, or both, it would be nice to see an upgrade down low.
Emerging as a potential trade chip, despite there not being much speculation about it, would be Hassan Whiteside. Whiteside would definitely be worth a 10th-round pick, where the Lakers would likely draft a rookie that might make a slight impact in 2019, that is it.
Whiteside, on the other hand, is a dominant presence down low that would boost the Lakers’ defensive efforts with his rim-protecting prowess. Not only is he an addition to the defense but he would likely post some of his best scoring numbers alongside LeBron James.
James excels at making big men better and Whiteside would be no exception. For the Heat, they would be trading just one guaranteed year of Whiteside for a 10th overall pick, which is a win. For the Lakers, they would be getting a center that they could extend long-term as well.
The only negative about this is Whiteside’s contract, which would prevent the team from signing anyone significant this summer.