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Los Angeles Lakers: A trade to try for Robert Covington

By Jason Reed

PHILADELPHIA, PA - OCTOBER 30: Robert Covington #33 of the Minnesota Timberwolves reacts against the Philadelphia 76ers at the Wells Fargo Center on October 30, 2019 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA, PA - OCTOBER 30: Robert Covington #33 of the Minnesota Timberwolves reacts against the Philadelphia 76ers at the Wells Fargo Center on October 30, 2019 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images) /
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The Los Angeles Lakers are likely looking to make some sort of addition before the NBA Trade Deadline and it could be in the form of Robert Covington.

The Los Angeles Lakers did not seem like they needed anything when the team had the joint-best record in the NBA. While the team still leads the Western Conference, their four-game losing streak brought everyone back down to earth and made us realize that the team absolutely could use some upgrades.

The Lakers are a great team as is and if the front office cannot pull anything off before the deadline it does not mean that the Lakers are not capable of winning the NBA Title. However, getting complacent and not looking to make any sort of additions is foolish.

Plus, we see it every single year with LeBron James-led teams. Some years it is a complete shake-up, other years it will be one or two minor moves. This year the Lakers need neither, what they need is a wing that can help both offensively and defensively.

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When surveying the options, one of the better potential trade targets that emerge is Robert Covington, who was traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves last season in the Jimmy Butler trade. Covington is the perfect NBA trade target and is the perfect wing to add alongside LeBron James and Anthony Davis.

What makes Covington so appealing as a trade target is that he is easily obtainable. His salary is right in the sweet spot where teams can easily acquire him along the salary guidelines of NBA trades. Covington is making $11.3 million this season.

On the court, Covington is one of the best three-and-D players in the league. While his three-point shooting is down at 33 percent this season, he is still someone that can get hot and is a one-time All-Defensive player, coming in the 2017-2018 season.

There have been no solidified reports that the Timberwolves are shopping Covington but the team would be foolish to not listen to offers for the forward, especially with how much he could help a contending team.

So, what would the Los Angeles Lakers have to send to Minnesota to get this Covington’s services? This is the package that we would attempt if we were Rob Pelinka.

This looks like a lot, and it is, and I completely understand if, as a fan, you rebuke the idea of trading both Kyle Kuzma and a first-round pick for Robert Covington. However, for what Covington would bring to the table, it would be worth it.

Kuzma is a great player and is someone who Laker fans were excited to watch this season with Davis on the team. However, it has become quite clear that Kuzma is not a great fit on this Lakers team. He is not a reliable-enough three-point shooter and is not a good enough defender to completely trust, especially in the playoffs.

There is the entire drama of Kuzma’s trainer calling out LeBron, but that has nothing to do with it. From a pure basketball fit, the Lakers could do better than Kuzma.

And in terms of the first-round pick, that pick is going to be no lower than 26, barring a complete meltdown from the team, and even if the Lakers hold onto it they likely are not going to use the player they select because of their inexperience.

Thus, the team can parlay that in a deal and get a second-round pick in return. Let’s say Minnesota has the 10th pick in the draft, that would mean that the Lakers would only be moving back 10-15 spots in the draft.

Quinn Cook, Jared Duley and Talen-Horton Tucker are in there for salary reasons, although Horton-Tucker is a young player that is somewhat exciting for Minnesota. This would leave the Lakers slightly thin depth-wise but that could easily be made up and accounted for until the playoffs with the buyouts that will eventually occur.

Adding Covington would add another reliable three-point presence to the Lakers and would give the team some defensive help in guarding Kawhi Leonard, Giannis Antetokounmpo or any other great forwards that the team has to get through to win it all.

Then, the team could run a crunch-time lineup of LeBron James, Danny Green, Robert Covington, Anthony Davis and JaVale McGee/Dwight Howard/Avery Bradley. That is a stout defensive outlook and Covington is a much-better secondary scorer in a LeBron-led offense than Kuzma.

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It also helps that he is locked down for three more seasons, which is going to make these upcoming offseasons much easier to manage for the Los Angeles Lakers.

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