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Three moves Los Angeles Lakers must consider before the trade deadline

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Before we delve into who and why the Lakers should trade for another facilitating player it goes without saying there is a huge hole in the NBA right now. On Sunday, basketball fans around the world were shocked as news outlets began to report on the tragic loss of Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna. Our sincerest condolences are with the Bryant family along with the families of seven other people who were aboard the helicopter. Mamba For Life.

Currently, the Lakers are the top seed in the West with a record of 36-10 and look set to finish there although, some games have seen star players LeBron James and Anthony Davis play extended minutes to secure the win. Many times, this season the Lakers bench has been heavily outscored by the opposition. A fine example of this was opening night where the Clippers bench outscored the Lakers bench 60-19.

What’s the problem?

The Lakers lack a floor general once LeBron heads to the bench. There isn’t a sixth man who leads the second unit. They need a leader who will dictate play while LeBron and co are sat, but who could it possibly be?

Derrick Rose

Derrick Rose quickly took to the NBA becoming the youngest MVP winner in history. Since then he has been struck by injury and his career in basketball was truly in the balance until he began his resurgence with the Minnesota Timberwolves dropping a career-high 50 points on the Utah Jazz. At the minute Rose is being carefully managed by the Detroit Pistons who are 3.5 games back of the Brooklyn Nets who occupy the 8th seed in the East.

It is rumoured the Lakers refused a trade for Derrick Rose with the Piston’s wanting Alex Caruso and future picks, which is more than the Lakers were willing to give up. A trade for D-Rose is going to be a risk for any team due to how injury prone he is but with careful management it is clear he still has something to offer in the NBA.

       

Darren Collison

At the beginning of the off-season, teams began to queue up to convince Darren Collison to sign for them, but he surprisingly chose to retire at the age of 31 years old. Collison has made it known he would like to return to the league from a tweet which he has now deleted, he outlined his preferred destination is Los Angeles. Although he didn’t set the league on fire last season, he still can become the floor general for the second unit of the Lakers.

The logistics of Collison making the move to LA is fairly simple given he is a free agent. This signing is certainly doable and could be key in taking the Lakers over the line and secure this year’s NBA Championship.

D’Angelo Russell

This one is a little out there, but it would provide more longevity to the Laker franchise. D’Lo would be a perfect fit at the Lakers at the moment and would thrive as a starter. Capable of performing at either the one or two-guard position, his perimeter shooting and playoff experience will certainly make him a great addition to the Lakers. It is no secret the Lakers pushed hard to acquire D’Lo over the summer and this trade would prove near on impossible without losing multiple assets which are key in the current Lakers line-up.

D’Lo was drafted second in the 2015 draft by the Lakers but was traded to the Brooklyn Nets in 2017 along with Timofey Movgoz for Brook Lopez and the 27th pick in the draft. A trade for Russell will definitely include multiple players, picks and the up and coming Kyle Kuzma who is struggling to find his place in a line-up that features a frontcourt of Bron, AD and either Dwight Howard or JaVale McGee

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