Detroit Pistons Receive: F Talen Horton-Tucker
Los Angeles Lakers Receive: C Kelly Olynyk
This may not be a summer-defining blockbuster, but it’s a solid deal that upgrades the Los Angeles Lakers on the margins.
Olynyk is a career 36.5% three-point shooter. That alone makes him valuable. He’s a bonafide stretch five. He’s also a surprisingly solid defensive player, with a career Defensive Box Plus/Minus (DBPM) of 0.8.
If that sounds like a role-player, you nailed it. Still, Olynyk is capable of shouldering more offensive responsibility when asked to. Over 27 games with the tanking Houston Rockets in 2020-21, he averaged 19.0 points per game.
The Lakers wouldn’t ask him for that kind of output, but it’s nice to know he’s capable of providing it. Like Bogdanovic, Olynyk makes the Lakers better whether or not they’re still rostering Westbrook. With his floor spacing, he can comfortably play alongside Anthony Davis in a modernized twin tower look.
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As far as dreams go, this one is kind of like one where you’re eating a meal, and then you wake up hungry. You probably won’t bore your friends by relaying it. It’s still a dream. These Lakers have to do anything they can to improve heading into the 2022-23 season.
