3 Possible win-win trades for the Pistons and Lakers
The Detroit Pistons and Los Angeles Lakers have been disappointing teams for different reasons.
The Pistons are once again the worst team in the league and miraculously even worse than last season when they won just 17 games.
The Lakers are just 4-9 in the 13 games since they won the first in-season tournament and coach Darvin Ham has come under fire in recent days for his wonky rotations. Sounds familiar.
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Both teams could use a roster shake-up, as the Lakers need more 3-point shooting around their stars. LA is just 26th in the NBA in 3-point percentage and 30th in 3-pointers made per game, tied with the Pistons.
Our friends at Lake Show Life say there are three Lakers who are definitely getting traded this season, and at this point, the Pistons should be looking for any way to get some fresh faces on their roster. Could the two teams be trade partners? Here are three possible win-win trades using the three Lakers who could be traded.
Trade #1: D'Angelo Russell to the Pistons
D'Angelo Russell has been yanked from the starting five and could be on the move at the deadline. He cannot be traded until January 15th, but he's a guy who could interest the Pistons.
Lakers trade Russell/Burks
Why the Pistons do it
This isn't a massive upgrade for the Pistons but it would give them another guard who can score and shoot the 3-ball. Russell is not a good defender, but the Pistons are horrible defensively anyway, so they may as well lean into offense.
Russell could play alongside Cade Cunningham in the starting five to take some of the pressure off him, or come off the bench and be the primary ballhandler.
Why the Lakers do it
The Lakers get a good 3-point shooter to put around LeBron and AD in Burks, a veteran who would likely thrive in that role on the Lakers.
They also get a backup point guard in Killian Hayes who will do the two things the Lakers need their backup to do, which are make plays and defend. The Lakers don't need him to shoot, which is the perfect role for a guy who can't.
Most importantly, the Lakers get off of the final year of Russell's contract and pick up $18 million in cap space for offseason upgrades.