The NBA has a salary cap. As such, teams are faced with some difficult decisions. They can focus on top-end talent, but their roster’s depth is likely to suffer. On the other hand, they could try to assemble a deep team, but that’s likely to come at the expense of a third star.
The Los Angeles Lakers have struck a nice balance. There are two star players on this team. Outside of LeBron James and Anthony Davis, the Lakers have solid depth. This is a roster full of value contracts and reclamation projects that mostly complement the star duo nicely.
By contrast, the Phoenix Suns are top-heavy. Kevin Durant, Devin Booker, and Bradley Beal are one of the most talented trios in the NBA. On the other hand, the team’s depth is questionable. The Suns could improve it, but they’d likely have to trade Deandre Ayton in order to do so. Could they send him to the Lakers?
The Trade Proposal
Phoenix Suns Receive: G D’Angelo Russell, F Rui Hachimura
Los Angeles Lakers Receive: C Deandre Ayton
Which approach is better? That’s a more difficult question. We’ve seen top-heavy teams win NBA championships, and we’ve seen deep teams do it as well. Do the most recent champions teach us anything about these two models?
Well, the Denver Nuggets teach us one thing. In basketball, your best player is comfortably the most important one. Most would call the Nuggets a deep squad before they thought of them as top-heavy. Fair. Still, having the best offensive player in the NBA went a long way toward their title run.
NBA TRADES, NEWS & RUMORS: Deandre Ayton, Phoenix Suns & Los Angeles Lakers Updates
Is LeBron James still in that company? That’s a difficult question to answer. Still, the Lakers have enough talent to compete. This team is coming off of a conference finals run. The Lakers are contenders. Does this deal make them better?
Why The Los Angeles Lakers Do The Deal
We think so. In fact, following this deal, the Lakers would resemble the squad that won the 2019-20 title. Hopefully, they don’t need a pandemic to force the league into a bubble.
Jokes aside, the Lakers paired Davis with more traditional big men en route to their most recent title. It worked wonderfully. With Davis as a defensive roamer while someone else handled stationary rim protection, the Lakers were difficult to score on. Meanwhile, none of the bigs that they paired Davis with during that title run were as impactful as Ayton.
NBA TRADES, NEWS & RUMORS: Deandre Ayton, Phoenix Suns & Los Angeles Lakers Updates
The Lakers may not want to rush into this deal. If they look good at the deadline, they may prefer to hang onto Russell’s playmaking. With that said, the addition of Gabe Vincent makes him expendable from a positional point of view. The Lakers are getting the best player in this trade, and should improve for it. Should the Suns really part with Ayton?
Why The Phoenix Suns Do The Deal
Some may argue against this deal for the Suns. You could make the case that they’ve got enough guard play. Between Devin Booker and Bradley Beal, they’ll usually have a strong offensive guard on the floor. Why are they acquiring Russell?
Well, none of those players are point guards. Russell is one. His ability to set up teammates for open looks should be invaluable to this squad. How will the Suns use him? We’re not sure. They might start him, play Beal at the 3, and go small. Alternatively, Russell may carry the second unit. Either way, he should be a welcomed addition to this group.
NBA TRADES, NEWS & RUMORS: Deandre Ayton, Phoenix Suns & Los Angeles Lakers Updates
So should Hachimura. We’re not sure exactly who he is – Hachimura looked great as a Laker, but he looked mediocre for the rest of his NBA career on the Washington Wizards. Still, this team’s bar is low for depth pieces. Hachimura will be a more significant part of their rotation than several of the players who are currently on the roster. That’s the price that the Suns pay for having three superstars.
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