Does this trade make sense for the Los Angeles Lakers?
Adding Lonzo Ball would be a very nice, sentimental deal for the Lakers, but they do not really better themselves in terms of being a championship contender. Lonzo Ball is a fantastic player, don’t get me wrong, but he is not the difference in them winning another championship.
He can definitely contribute in more ways than Kuzma can on the offensive-end of the floor, but the Lakers are much better off exploring all of their options and trying to pursue a sign-and-trade for other guys like Spencer Dinwiddie and Kyle Lowry.
Los Angeles is in a position where they are in “championship mode” and looking for ways to add the best talents possible to their team and to me, Lonzo Ball does not really fit this description. He is young and they could sign him for a long-term contract, which is advantageous to the long-term future of this organization, but they do not want to be tied down to any long-term deals other than to their two superstar talents.
Having cap space and options are the two most important factors for a championship contending team and acquiring Lonzo Ball in a sign-and-trade this offseason would take both of these two things away from the Lakers.
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They have very limited cap space as it is right now and bringing back Ball does not help this case whatsoever. Not to mention, if they were to trade for Lonzo Ball, then the Lakers would not really be able to make any other big moves in free agency since they would be over the salary cap and not really have any tradable assets left.
Lonzo Ball is a really talented, young player, but he is not a great option for the Los Angeles Lakers to pursue this offseason. They should be connected to other options though, so keep tabs of them in NBA trade rumors.
