Too much of anything can be a bad thing. You may have ordered too much pizza. If you have too much free time, you’ll go crazy. An NBA team can have too much of a good thing as well. When a team has too many players of one type, one will inevitably fall out of the rotation.
Think about it. A team could even have too many stars. If your 11th man is an NBA star, guess what? You’re paying a lot of money for a guy that isn’t getting on the floor. If that’s true, a team can certainly have too many 3-and-D wings. If you don’t believe us, look at the Brooklyn Nets’ roster.
Mikal Bridges. Cameron Johnson. Royce O’Neale. Dorian Finney-Smith. That’s a lot of 3-and-D wings. Frankly, it’s probably too many. It’s difficult to imagine how the Nets will find minutes in their rotation for all these guys. Could they send Finney-Smith to the Los Angeles Lakers as a result?
The Trade Proposal
Brooklyn Nets Receive: G Gabe Vincent, G/F Cam Reddish
Los Angeles Lakers Receive: F Dorian Finney-Smith
Can a team have too much playmaking? That’s a more difficult question. In all likelihood, the answer is no. With that said, a team can have too much playmaking if those playmakers don’t complement each other. We’re talking about how ball-dominant the players are and how well they can shoot.
Think about it. If a playmaker can’t shoot, he typically needs the ball, right? Sure, you can design some sets to have him cut, but you can only go to that well so many times. Typically, a non-shooting playmaker is ball-dominant. So, they may struggle to complement other playmakers. The Lakers learned that lesson the hard way when they acquired Russell Westbrook to pair with LeBron James.
NBA TRADES, NEWS & RUMORS: Dorian Finney-Smith, Brooklyn Nets & Los Angeles Lakers Updates
At last year’s deadline, they finally resolved the issue. The Lakers flipped Westbrook for D’Angelo Russell. That was a sensible decision. Russell is a solid secondary playmaker, but he can also space the floor. By contrast, Vincent is more of an off-ball point guard. Should the Lakers flip him for Finney-Smith?
Why The Los Angeles Lakers Do The Deal
Well, the Lakers would have to replace Vincent. Unless Jalen Hood-Schifino is ready, this deal leaves the Lakers without a backup point guard. With that said, the Lakers should be able to replace Vincent on the buyout market. A ring-chasing veteran will likely be interested in joining this team.
Sure, that’s a while away. That’s fine. The Lakers can’t move Vincent now anyway. They just signed him, so he’s subject to restrictions. The Lakers will need to monitor their success as they approach the trade deadline. If they feel like they could stand to make some improvements, they might be interested in adding a new 3-and-D wing to their rotation.
NBA TRADES, NEWS & RUMORS: Dorian Finney-Smith, Brooklyn Nets & Los Angeles Lakers Updates
Finney-Smith feels like a good option. This is a player that the Lakers can afford. Finney-Smith is an inconsistent shooter. When he’s not connecting from deep, he can be an offensive liability, but when he is, he’s among the best 3-and-D wings in the league. Should the Nets give him up?
Why The Brooklyn Nets Do The Deal
Sometimes, we use the term “3-and-D wing” a little too loosely. That’s not really an accurate way to describe Bridges – he’s a dynamic shot creator in addition to that skillset. Meanwhile, Royce O’Neale is a surprisingly capable passer. With that in mind, the two purest 3-and-D wings on the Nets are Finney-Smith and Johnson.
The Nets can’t move Johnson. They just gave him a lucrative contract. More importantly, Johnson is anything but an inconsistent three-point shooter. He’s one of the most effective knockdown shooters in the NBA. So, if the Nets want to diversify their rotation, they’d move Finney-Smith by process of elimination.
NBA TRADES, NEWS & RUMORS: Dorian Finney-Smith, Brooklyn Nets & Los Angeles Lakers Updates
If they agree, this is a fair return. The Nets could use some depth in their point guard rotation, so Vincent makes sense. Meanwhile, Reddish has the potential to develop into a shot creating 3-and-D wing in his own right. If he does, the Nets may look to make another trade.
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