The Lakers will have to be active in the market this summer if they want to turn the corner after a disastrous season. That’s good, a target longtime would be unhappy in his franchise, which could do business for Rob Pelinka and LeBron James.
LeBron James and the Lakers have one thing in common: all NBA players dream of playing with the King, who is a living legend and one of the best in the all-time hierarchy, or with the Purple and Gold jersey, so prestigious and associated with a rich and dense history. So inevitably, by mixing the two, the Los Angeles franchise is a privileged destination in this period of free agency.
As soon as the market opened, the Angelinos were reinforced with two interesting signings in the space of two minutesbefore stealing a young talent from the Warriors, who should bring some defensive toughness to Darvin Ham’s group. Stephen Curry seemed a little disappointed to see his former teammate leave, what is more with a rival who will want to find the race for the title.
Buddy Hield finally at the Lakers?
And if there will obviously be other signings, Rob Pelinka could also please himself, and please the fans, by preparing one or more big exchanges. The rumor Kyrie Irving obviously persists, even if the leaders of the Nets have obviously decided to take revenge on the point guard, and that’s not all. In Indiana, a long-time target would be very unhappy, which could be good for LeBron and the Lakers. Avery Johnson from CBS Sports says, with great awkwardness:
We have to see what the Kings will do with Buddy Hield this summer. He’s unhappy with the direction the Kings are going, remember, he wanted to be traded to the Lakers a few months ago, before they signed Russell Westbrook…So Sacramento might be looking to trade him for one or more veterans, players who have already won a title or at least known a title, if the franchise wants to find the playoffs.
For Avery Johnson, Buddy Hield could be on the way out, he who is not happy with the direction taken by Sacramento… The concern is that he has been playing with the Pacers since the trade deadline, and that he has been pretty good when he arrived in Indiana, with no less than 18.2 average points in his new franchise. But the observation made by the former Spurs leader remains valid: Hield might want to find the playoffs elsewhere.
By agreeing to trade Malcolm Brogdon to Boston for a pittance, the leaders of the Pacers have clearly taken the road to reconstruction, something that Buddy Hield was looking to flee to the Kings. He could therefore be the next to pack his bags, and the Lakers will obviously be on the lookout, even if they don’t have much to offer. To be continued…
The Lakers should to show very active this summer, and Buddy Hield could well be a prime target for Rob Pelinka. It remains to be seen whether the Pacers will sell well, but all the signals point in this direction after the opening of free agency.