The Los Angeles Lakers front office has the tall task of figuring out how to upgrade the roster this NBA offseason and get the team back on track. That will not be easy, as the Lakers are lacking many assets.
Whether it is tradeable players or draft capital, Los Angeles just doesn’t possess it. They went all-in when they acquired Russell Westbrook last offseason, surrendering a ton of assets in the process.
That trade quickly proved to be a losing one for the Lakers, who missed the postseason.
If they could hit the reset button on that deal, they assuredly would. But, they now have to figure out a way to infuse some talent into the roster. One player that could be of interest to them is Collin Sexton of the Cleveland Cavaliers.
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Sexton has been loosely linked to Los Angeles previously, as he is entering restricted free agency. A sign-and-trade deal is something that could be worked out, but a former league executive that talked to NBA Analysis Network does not see that happening.
“That would be very tough to make happen for a few big reasons. The Lakers are already close to $150 million in payroll so the hard cap would be a problem in most scenarios. Regardless, Talen Horton-Tucker and Kendrick Nunn are their biggest non-star salaries to match salary with in a trade, and they aren’t appealing trade chips.”
The only thing that would make the duo of Talen Horton-Tucker and Kendrick Nunn an appealing package is if the Los Angeles Lakers included draft capital along with them. On their own, the former executive is correct; they aren’t appealing trade chips.
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Horton-Tucker did not show much progress this season despite having an expanded role in the rotation. But, at least he was able to get on the court, as Nunn missed the entire season because of a knee injury.
When it comes to Sexton, the former executive believes there are more realistic landing spots for him. The San Antonio Spurs, Indiana Pacers and Detroit Pistons are two teams that were mentioned.
“Sexton is probably going to be a target for some point guard needy team with cap space like the Pistons. Even teams like the Pacers or Spurs that have the flexibility to make a move and could use a shot creator are more realistic suitors for Sexton than the Lakers.”
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Depending on the contract that Sexton lands, the Pacers could make the most sense. Cleveland wouldn’t want to lose him for nothing, but in a sign-and-trade deal with Indiana, they could bring back someone such as Malcolm Brogdon, providing them with a bigger guard with some defensive chops.
The San Antonio Spurs and Detroit Pistons both can create max cap space rather easily, so if they want Collins Sexton bad enough, they can sign him to a huge offer sheet to try and dissuade the Cleveland Cavaliers from matching.
