Los Angeles Lakers: LA should trade Ball, sign a big-name free agent PG

The Los Angeles Lakers should trade Lonzo Ball and pursue a big-name point guard in free agency

The Los Angeles Lakers didn’t make the NBA playoffs this season, even after signing LeBron James last summer, leaving many to speculate what the franchise should do next.

While the Lakers did suffer a major setback due to an injury to LeBron in the middle of the season, the Lakers also had an easier schedule before the All-Star break. No one knows if the Lakers would have made the playoffs had Lebron not been injured

Now, the Lakers are in the position to either trade away Lonzo Ball this offseason or to continue developing the young point guard. The Lakers should prioritize keeping players that fit around LeBron and that have performed well this past season.

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Of all of the young Laker players, Josh Hart complements LeBron the most on the court. Hart is a sharpshooter and has improved defensively from last season. Off the bench, he has provided quality minutes for the Lakers and is a low maintenance basketball player. Hart seems to handle the trade situation with Anthony Davis the best and it has not impacted his game. Hart has the level of maturity needed to play around LeBron James.

Lonzo Ball is a valuable piece for the Lakers. He is bigger than most point guards and can play defense. He is also a solid playmaker and plays well alongside any player. Keep and investing in Lonzo Ball could provide the Lakers a valuable point guard over the next decade.

However, Lonzo has difficulty shooting and scoring in general. He also has no playoff experience and will be expensive to retain after his rookie deal is over. Statistically, Ball has regressed in every category (points, assists, and rebounds) from his rookie season.

Lonzo Ball played over 30 minutes per game and averaged less than10 pointss and 5.5 assists per contest.

Lonzo will be making $7,265,485 next season and $11,003,782 in the following season. And in LeBron’s final year the Lakers, Lonzo will no longer be on a rookie deal and it will be expensive to re-sign Lonzo to the Lakers.

For reference, Kyle Kuzma is also on a rookie deal that costs the Lakers less than $2 million dollars a year. The Lakers can find similar talent as Lonzo for a much cheaper price. While Lonzo is not even cheap now, in the future the Lakers will likely not be able to offer him a lucrative contract.

Moreover, given the importance of the point guard position in basketball, Lonzo Ball, while he is talented, is not a good enough point guard to lead a team in Lakers in the Western Conference.

Lonzo Ball might be the worst starting point guard in the Western Conference. The starting point guards for the Western Conference are as follows: Mike Conley (Grizzlies), Jalen Brunson (Mavs) Jeff Teague (Timberwolves), Tyler Johnson (Suns), Jrue Holiday (Pelicans), De’Aaron Fox (Kings), Patrick Beverley (Clippers), Dejounte Murray (Spurs), Russell Westbrook (Thunder), Donovan Mitchell (Jazz), Chris Paul (Rockets), Damian Lillard (Portland), Jamal Murray (Nuggets), and Stephen Curry (Warriors).

LeBron is already the primary playmaker for the Lakers. LeBron needs players that can help him score and Ball is just not able to directly help the Lakers offensively.

This summer, the following point guards will be available via free agency: Kyrie Irving, Kemba Walker, D’Angelo Russell, Ricky Rubio, Darren Collison, Terry Rozier, Patrick Beverley, and Elfrid Payton. And they could play with the Lakers for last three years of LeBron’s contract. And the following summer Kyle Lowry and Mike Conley will be able to sign with the Lakers. Any of these point guards would be better than Lonzo.

There are only so many minutes in a game and resources the Laker organization can utilize to develop players. Given what Lonzo Ball has shown so far as a Laker he is not worth developing for the future of the Laker organization. Especially since the Lakers third unit and Reggie Bullock have shown they can step-up when Lonzo Ball was not playing.

The Lakers should explore trading Lonzo Ball and sign a marquee point guard.