Why The Los Angeles Lakers Do The Deal 

Plenty of people saw the writing on the wall when the Lakers acquired Westbrook. 

Building around LeBron James has never been complicated. You get him a co-star who can shoot, surround them with shooters, and let him run your offense. For whatever reason, the Lakers chose to ignore history. 

This deal gives them an opportunity to correct it. In fact, it has them landing two reliable floor spacers in McDermott and Richardson. Those two will make life easier for James. 

Yet, the real prize here is Poeltl. He’s one of the best defensive big men in the NBA.

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No, he doesn’t shoot, but we know James can thrive when Anthony Davis is paired with a non-shooting big. He just can’t thrive with a non-shooter who’s also ball-dominant. 

Should the Spurs really target such a player?