Why The Los Angeles Lakers Do The Deal 

The Lakers have the most obvious incentive here. They need to improve their roster at any cost. 

Flipping two first-round picks will sting. The Lakers are already poorly positioned for the future. James is 37, Anthony Davis is an injury-prone 29, and they just traded the most interesting young player on their roster in Talen Horton-Tucker. 

Tell it to someone who cares. The Lakers were probably the most talented 33-win team in the league’s history in 2021-22. Unfortunately, the team was doomed by the poor fit between the players on its roster. This deal alleviates the issue entirely. 

We already touched on Gordon’s elite floor spacing. He feels like the perfect player to complement the ball-dominant James. Meanwhile, Hayward is a threat from distance too and provides enough secondary ball-handling to make up for Westbrook’s absence. 

LATEST NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Los Angeles Lakers Updates

This deal makes the Lakers better. Given their current operating principles, that ought to be all that matters to them.