“Laker Babies” have a lot to prove or they may be fans’ only hope for trades.
ESPN Staff Writer Baxter Holmes says that one tactic above all has helped deliver the biggest stars to the Los Angeles Lakers: trades.
Through the decades, the Lakers have acquired some of the biggest names in basketball history through trades, including Wilt Chamberlain, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Kobe Bryant, Shaquille O’Neal, Pau Gasol, and Dwight Howard. It’s how they acquired first overall picks used to draft Magic Johnson in 1979 and James Worthy in 1982.
Heading into the 2016 season, the Lakers boast a starting lineup that features three players selected in the first two rounds of the past two drafts. Those “Laker Babies” will be running up and down the court for 30+ minutes a game to keep veteran starters Kobe Bryant and Roy Hibbert fresh, as well as backup veterans Lou Williams, Brandon Bass and Metta World Peace.
But is this the team impatient Lakers fans want?
Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak is quick to suggest trades as a way to rebound from one of the worst chapters in franchise history.
“I do think we do have pieces that we can be in the discussion this season with other teams,” Kupchak said in late September. “We didn’t have as many pieces a year ago as we did this year, not to say that we’ll be any more active than we were a year ago.”
The Lakers have two options: rebuild or replace. After the worst two-year stretch in franchise history, marquee players aren’t clamoring for a purple and gold jersey the way Wilt, Kareem, and Kobe once did. For these Lakers to land a star through a trade, it will come down to their assets, which very well may be lacking.
“Basically what the Lakers have right now, at the top of the list is D’Angelo Russell, who has not played in the NBA, and Julius Randle, who has not played in the NBA,” said one NBA agent.
“I do think we do have pieces that we can be in the discussion this season with other teams.”
Lakers General Manager Mitch Kupchak
According to NBA insiders who spoke with ESPN, Russell, the No. 2 overall pick in this year’s draft, is the Lakers’ clear-cut top asset.
Second and third options are either combo guard Jordan Clarkson, the 2014 second-round pick who made the All-Rookie first team last season, or forward Randle, the 2014 lottery pick whose rookie season was cut short by a broken leg after only 14 minutes of play in the Lakers’ first game of the season.
Other players on the Lakers this year simply do not have the reputation to be a potential game-changer on any team, and are not very valuable to help other franchises.
Kobe Bryant, the team’s consistent best player if not for his multiple season-ending injuries, is one of the few NBA players with a no-trade clause in his contract. Even if the Lakers could manage to trade him in a deal, he could nix it at any time.
The Lakers also ultimately lose a first-round draft pick in the next three years to the Philadelphia 76ers thanks to their 2012 trade for Steve Nash. Unless the Lakers wind up with a pick in the top 3 by 2018, their first-round pick will go to Philadelphia.
The Lakers also owe a top-five-protected first-rounder to the Orlando Magic as a result of the 2012 multi-team trade for Dwight Howard. As summarized by Holmes, “If the Lakers keep their next two first-rounders out of Philly’s hands by landing a top-three selection in 2016 and 2017, Orlando will instead receive second-round picks from the Lakers in 2017 and 2018. In total, the Lakers are sure to lose one of their first-round picks over the next three years, and it could be as many as two picks in that span.”
With an unproven supply of young talent and a lack of opportune draft picks, the Lakers could find themselves stuck with what they’ve got.
Perhaps this is just what the Lakers need. Let’s look at the talent.
Jordan Clarkson is quickly becoming the star for the Lakers this season. He will see starting minutes either at shooting guard with Kobe playing small forward, or D’Angelo Williams plays off the bench. If Kobe can play a mentoring role, he lets Clarkson run with the team and become the #1 option as the season rolls along. Clarkson could see huge numbers in points and assists, and Byron Scott has already shown he has faith in the young guard.
Julius Randle has superstar talent, and can play the 3/4/5. He handles the ball better than most bigs in the league and explodes out of the gym. Randle, a young Zach Randolph but with more speed, may be able to put up 20 points and 10 rebounds time and time again this season.
Kobe is Kobe. If he can distribute the ball and stay on his toes, he’ll still be able to put up huge offensive numbers. Metta World Peace has been brought back to the Purple and Gold to hold down the backcourt.
D’Angelo has the most to prove. If he can keep his 3-point shooting accurate, he and Lou Williams could control the perimeter, leaving Randle, Nance, and Hibbert open to take it to the rim.
Hibbert is a defensive machine, recording 6 blocks in the last three preseason games. Metta World Peace will continue to claim he is the best defensive basketball player in the history of the game, and that braggadocio may very well be the attitude around which the Lakers can rally. The Lakers did hold off the high scoring champions of last season, the Golden State Warriors, in a short preseason game at home this weekend.
There’s talent on the bench with Nick Young and rookie Larry Nance Jr. (son of former All Star Slam Dunk Contest winner), and the team just may have what it takes this year to end the drought and snag a spot in the 2016 playoffs.
It’s a longshot, however. The Western Conference is once again packed with talented teams at the top, and the top 7 or 8 in the conference are predictably set.
If the Laker Babies can find success, there is a chance they can grow and dominate together. A Cinderella story could unfold this year and Lakers fans could see a team bound for glory.
No assets? No problem.
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