Los Angeles Lakers: The Lakers should trade for Eric Gordon and P.J. Tucker
Should the Los Angeles Lakers make a play for Eric Gordon and/or P.J. Tucker this offseason?
Heading into the offseason, the Los Angeles Lakers should attempt to acquire Eric Gordon and P.J. Tucker (who the Rockets have both made available on the trade market).
Gordon has been the sixth-man for the Rockets for the past couple of seasons and he is the perfect player to add to the Lakers’ bench. So far, he has been critical to the success that the Rockets have had in the playoffs.
Despite being one of the best 3-point shooters in the NBA, Gordon has never been recognized for his shooting prowess.
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Offensively, Gordon could add more 3-point shooting for the Lakers’ bench. He also has a low usage rate and does not need the ball in his hand to be effective.
Tucker has been a starting forward for the Rockets for this past season. He can match up with a variety of players in the NBA. This season, Tucker has been successful defenders in guarding Jayson Tatum, Kevin Durant, and Ben Simmons.
Arguably no other defender in the NBA is as versatile as Tucker. He can guard four positions. He is also a notorious pest on defense. Tucker may be one of the best rotation players in the NBA.
Offensively, Tucker could add more 3-point shooting to the Lakers’ bench. For his career, Tucker shoots 43.8 percent from 3-point range. He has a low usage rate and does not need the ball in his hand to be effective.
Earlier in the season, Jerry West on the Stephen A Smith Radio Show offered some poignant points about the problems the Lakers were having this season. Below are three takeaways from Jerry West’s commentary with Stephen A. Smith.
"1. Too many of the Laker players play iso basketball and require the ball to be effective. This reduces LeBron’s ability to score and to assist other players. The Lakers also have two other primary playmakers in Rondon and Lonzo Ball."
"2. Lakes do not shoot consistently enough. Many of the Lakers players can’t consistently hit the 3-point shot. And since the modern NBA game revolves around the 3-point shot, this creates a problem."
"3. The Lakers were not healthy all season. This undoubtedly cost the Lakers many games. Depth was a clear issue."
The Lakers struggled defensively in the regular season and need more 3-point shooting on their roster. The Lakers are also one of the worst defensive teams in the NBA and ranked seventh in points allowed per game.
There are plenty of teams with better records than the Lakers that have less offensive prowess than the Lakers. This season, the Lakers averaged more points per game than the Nuggets, Jazz, Celtics, and Spurs. Yet, the Lakers were not even close to being in playoff contention.
Tucker and Gordon are two perfect players for the Lakers to add to their roster to address some of the issues the Lakers have been having the past two seasons. The Lakers could dangle Brandon Ingram or Lonzo Ball in a hypothetical deal.
For the playoffs, Gordon averaged 17.8 points per game while Tucker averaged 11.4 points.
Despite Ingram averaging 18.3 points per game during the regular season, he only averaged two 3-point shot attempts per contest. Ingram is not the 3-point shooter that Eric Gordon has shown to be. Ball still has left plenty to be desired as a pro player.
However, Ball and Ingram have had some health issues in the past.
Gordon has one more year on his contract with the Rockets for $14,057,730. Tucker has two years left in his deal with the Rockets and is set to make $8,349,039 for the 2019-20 season and $7,969,537 for the 2020-21 season.
Similarly, Brandon Ingram is on a rookie contract for one more year for $7,265,485 with the Lakers. Ball has two years left on his contract with the Lakers and is set to make $8,719,320 and $11,003,782 for the next two seasons.
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While trading for Gordon and Tucker may burden the Lakers slightly, after the 2019-20 season, Gordon would be off the Lakers books if the trade did not work. Similarly, the Rockets would get two young player to help rebuild their franchise and would get some cap relief. The trade would be beneficial for both teams.