How This Trade Impacts Los Angeles Lakers
The Los Angeles Lakers are going to be stuck between a rock and a hard place if the Russell Westbrook trade doesn’t pan out. There will be very few options to fix the issues, but the Cleveland Cavaliers would present the best one.
Acquiring a veteran such as Kevin Love is something they would be looking to do on the buyout market anyway, so why not beat the other teams to the punch if capable? Love would slide right into the rotation as a floor-spacing big that can keep the offense flowing with his passing ability as well. While not the defender that Marc Gasol is, Love would help replace a lot of what the team will lose offensively with him likely heading back to Spain to play.
The biggest reason this is a win for the Lakers is the acquisition of Collin Sexton. Yes, he has his shortcomings as a playmaker and sometimes struggles to read and react to situations. But, playing alongside someone such as LeBron James, those issues would be mitigated.
Sexton could operate as a secondary playmaker and ball-handler with James leading the offense in most scenarios. That would allow Sexont to flourish off the ball and focus on what he does best; score the basketball.
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The former Alabama product puts a lot of pressure on opponents with his relentless, downhill attacking style of basketball. Sexton averaged a career-high 24.3 points per game last season and would provide multi-level scoring for the Lakers, as he is a 38.5 percent shooter from the 3-point line as well.
3-point shooting was the Achilles heel of the Lakers’ offense last season and they did a good job making sure it didn’t occur again. They acquired multiple players that shot over 40 percent from distance last season, which will help put any shooting issues they had behind them.
Cedi Osman would help on the wing as well, an area the Lakers were looking to add to with their open roster spots. But he would have to earn his playing time as he will be competing with numerous veterans for playing time.
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Acquiring Sexton, even if it means bringing on Love as well, would be a big win for Los Angeles. Turning 23 in January, he could be part of the team’s foundation in the future post-LeBron, something they could have to deal with in the near future.
