Why It Makes Sense For Los Angeles Lakers

The Los Angeles Lakers accomplish all of their goals in this trade. They move off of Russell Westbrook’s contract and bring in a dynamic scorer that can help LeBron James and Anthony Davis in a title run.

Donovan Mitchell is also young enough to ensure that the Lakers have a plan in place for when LeBron eventually either leaves or retires. He and Anthony Davis could form a formidable duo for the foreseeable future.

In return, they only have to give up two first-round picks, a small price to pay for a top-tier talent on Spida’s level. Mitchell’s ability to create shots for himself would alleviate some of the offensive burden off of LeBron’s aging shoulders.

While he’s not necessarily known for his passing or defense, he should be a significant upgrade in those departments when compared to Westbrook’s contributions for the Lakers last season.

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His ability to run pick-and-roll and orchestrate an offense will also come in handy in the minutes or games that Los Angeles has to play without one or both of LeBron James and Anthony Davis — an unfortunate but commonplace circumstance in their tenure in LA.

Mitchell is finally free from Utah and Rudy Gobert’s enormous frame taking up his driving lanes. Perhaps playing next to LeBron James will inspire him to be a more team-oriented and defensive-minded player. At the very least, landing on a big market team should encourage him to exert maximum effort following the trade.

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This deal should vault the Lakers back to the top of the Western Conference power rankings and might even prolong LeBron James’ stay on the team.