Los Angeles Lakers Receive: C Moritz Wagner
Washington Wizards Receive: F Alfonzo McKinnie, LAL 2022 1st Round Pick
With Anthony Davis being out, the Lakers have really struggled to find production in their frontcourt, which is why adding Moritz Wagner back to their roster could make a ton of sense. In 20 games this season with the Wizards, Wagner is averaging 6.9 points, 3.1 rebounds, 1.3 assists and is shooting 56.2% from the floor.
While he is not a high-level scorer, Wagner could be a great addition for the Lakers for a couple of reasons. Not only could he add on to their small group of young talents, but he is more than capable of holding his own on the court for 15-20 minutes per night. He is a great rotational player and a guy that would not be asked to do too much, which is why he is a player that the Lakers could greatly benefit from adding.
For the Wizards, they have turned things around recently but at the end of the day, they are not going anywhere this season. They could end up sneaking into the playoffs, but it would not matter since they do not have the weapons outside of Bradley Beal and Russell Westbrook to be able to compete at a high-level.
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As a result, getting Alfonzo McKinnie, who is a very solid bench player, and a first-round pick in 2022 makes a ton of sense. The ultimate goal of this organization is to continue building their team through the draft and while they have two superstar talents who want to win now, it just is not going to happen.
The Wizards are very far behind in terms of building a young core and since Moritz Wagner does not really fit into their plans long-term it makes sense for them to possibly get a first-round pick out of him. With that said, let’s take a deep look at both teams and why this trade could make sense for both of them.
