Detroit Pistons: Proposed mega-deal with the Los Angeles Lakers

Detroit Pistons: Huge Bojan Bogdanovic trade to the Los Angeles Lakers

According to Chris Mannix and Howard Beck of Sports Illustrated, the Lakers may be interested in more than just one of the Detroit Pistons’ veterans:

"“I’ve heard the Lakers and Pistons have discussed a deal that would include both Bogdanović and Nerlens Noel. Since the Pistons are demanding draft assets in any deal for Bogdanović, it’s sort of a given that the Lakers would have to surrender a first-round pick to make a deal. Maybe they make a second deal to fortify the rotation further. Will they be willing to trade both picks that are currently trade-eligible? The sense around the league is they won’t. But we’ll see.”"

The combined salaries of Bogdanovic and Noel are nearly $30 million, so it seems unlikely that a deal could be made that didn’t include Russell Westbrook, which neither team would be interested in doing. But here is one deal that works, at least financially:

On paper, this would potentially satisfy the Pistons’ demands of an unprotected first-round pick, and it could be a good one, as the LeBron will be 42-years-old by that point, and though he’s shown few signs of aging, he may not even be in the league, or could be on a different team by then.

This would be the ultimate, “win now” move for the Lakers, but count me as dubious that either team would jump at this deal.