Los Angeles Lakers: The Ivica Zubac trade gave us an offseason hint

The Los Angeles Lakers traded Ivica Zubac to the Los Angeles Clippers during the NBA Trade Deadline and revealed the team’s offseason motives in the process.

The Los Angeles Lakers were unable to make the big trade that the fans were waiting for at the NBA Trade Deadline and failed to really add much to the team outside of Reggie Bullock, which was a cheap, good pick up.

One move the team did make that baffled everyone, including the team that the Lakers did business with, was trading Ivica Zubac to the Los Angeles Clippers.

The Lakers traded Zubac and Michael Beasley to the Clippers for Mike Muscala. On the surface, this move appeared to be one that was supposed to add shooting to the team while also opening a roster spot for a buyout player.

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Ironically the Lakers never used that roster spot and Muscala has been terrible with the team. Zubac, who emerged as a legitimate rotation guy, was given away for nothing and the Clippers found their starting center.

It really makes no sense.

The argument that the front office would likely use is that Zubac is a restricted free agent this season and that the front office had no plans of re-signing him. If that is the case, I guess this trade makes sense as a gamble to make the playoffs.

The flaw in that logic though is that the Lakers should have had every reason to want to reason Zubac. There are no centers (outside of Moritz Wagner, although he fits better as a four) on the roster next season and Zubac was not going to get more than $5 million on the market.

I get the position is deepish right now and to win you have to take risks but the fact that the Los Angeles Lakers were just going to let Zubac walk this offseason for a minuscule contract, like with Julius Randle, is absurd.

It does give us a peek behind the curtain though at what the plans are this offseason and it might not be what Laker fans want.

The team is going to get a big man. The first priority is obviously working out a deal for Anthony Davis but the chances of the Pelicans actually giving the Lakers what they want seems slim to none.

Which leads into plan B: DeMarcus Cousins. The Lakers have already been named the favorites to sign Cousins by an ESPN panel and the Zubac trade is going to serve as the precursor that we all should have seen coming.

I mean, why else would the team repeatedly pass on big men? They passed on Julius Randle, Brook Lopez and now Zubac. Instead, the front office has signed veteran minimum guys, such as JaVale McGee and Tyson Chandler, who best serve as the bench center on a contending team.

You could make the case for the team setting the table for a shooting guard as well but we have already seen rotations in which Brandon Ingram plays as the two. The Lakers are setting up for a starting five that has Lonzo Ball, Ingram, LeBron, Kyle Kuzma and a star big man.

And with the Davis trade seeming unlikely and the Lakers running out of time to save face, the next best thing is DeMarcus Cousins. That is the only move the team can really make to keep all four of the core in the starting lineup without having to run small.

Whether or not it is a good move is up for you to decide. However, when the Los Angeles Lakers do bring in a big man this summer, whether it be Davis or Cousins, we will all realize that we should have seen it coming the entire time.