The Los Angeles Lakers have been angling to make a win-now move ahead of the trade deadline to support LeBron James and Anthony Davis. It seems as though a winnow trade has finally happened.
A recent report from Adrian Wojnarowski revealed that the Los Angeles Lakers have managed to acquire D’Angelo Russell from the Minnesota Timberwolves in a three-team deal that also sends them Mike Conley while moving Russell Westbrook to the Utah Jazz.
ESPN Sources: The Lakers are finalizing deal to land Minnesota’s D’Angelo Russell, Malik Beasley and Jarred Vanderbilt in trade including Mike Conley and picks to Timberwolves and Russell Westbrook and a lightly protected 2027 LA first-round pick to Jazz.
There is no doubt that this is a great deal for the Los Angeles Lakers. D’Angelo Russell is an efficient three-level scorer who is also a fantastic floor general. As of right now, the point guard is averaging 17.9 PPG, 3.1 RPG, and 6.2 APG. He should be a good fit with LeBron James and Anthony Davis due to his elite off-ball game, and it’ll be interesting to see how his second stint with the Los Angeles Lakers goes.
Getting two key role players in Malik Beasley and Jarred Vanderbilt is a fantastic move for the Los Angeles Lakers as well. Malik Beasley is a solid microwave scorer when coming off the bench, while Jarred Vanderbilt is a multi-positional defender that is also a fantastic rebounder.
The fact that the Los Angeles Lakers managed to find a good win-now deal while only giving up one of their future first-round picks is absolutely astounding, and this is clearly a masterclass from Rob Pelinka. We will see what happens in the future, but this move could pay huge dividends for the Lakers.
Source: fadeawayworld
