A blockbuster three-team trade proposal has the Los Angeles Lakers moving out D’Angelo Russell and landing a veteran scoring forward to complement LeBron James and Anthony Davis in a move that would drastically improve their championship hopes.
The Portland Trail Blazers began their rebuild a year ago by dealing franchise icon and superstar guard Damian Lillard to the Milwaukee Bucks. GM Joe Cronin should eye moving out star forward Jerami Grant while his trade value remains high, and the Lakers should be motivated to clear out D’Angelo Russell’s contract for another scorer.
One year after a surprise return to the Western Conference Finals, the Lakers finished 47-35 and were ousted by the defending NBA Champion Denver Nuggets in the first round. That led to the dismissal of head coach Darvin Ham, who was replaced with JJ Redick.
With James entering his age-40 season, the Lakers must make a big splash soon if they want to compete for a championship during the final years of his career. And one such trade idea has them doing just that by moving out D’Angelo Russell.
Bleacher Report’s Andy Bailey proposed a three-team blockbuster trade idea between the Lakers, Trail Blazers and Orlando Magic. In Bailey’s proposal, the Lakers would land Grant and Orlando’s Cole Anthony.
Jerami Grant is 1 of 8 players in the 23 – 24 season who match the following criteria.
– 6’7+
– 40%+ from 3
– 5+ 3pt attempts per game pic.twitter.com/4qDsDzjjkJ— ᴀɪʀ17 🪂 (@Air1Seven) August 6, 2024
This scenario would have the Trail Blazers landing Gabe Vincent, Jarred Vanderbilt and a 2029 top-three protected first-round pick from Los Angeles plus Jett Howard and a 2025 first-rounder from Orlando.
“As for Orlando, they would get D’Angelo Russell, Jalen Hood-Schifino and a 2030 second-round pick from Los Angeles plus a 2028 second-rounder from Portland:
In a vacuum, Cole Anthony is slightly worse than Russell, but he’s younger and would likely have no problem coming off the bench. That’d clear the way for Austin Reaves to start as the Lakers’ nominal point guard and make the entire starting lineup bigger.
The more important acquisition is Grant. The 30-year-old wing has proven to be a reliable three-point shooter and 20-point-per-game scorer with the Detroit Pistons and Portland. In lineups with LeBron and Davis, his lack of rebounding wouldn’t be as damaging.”
Last season, Jerami Grant averaged 21 points, 3.5 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game with the Trail Blazers. The 30-year-old has averaged over 19 points per game in each of the last four seasons.
Swapping D’Angelo Russell For Jerami Grant Would Be A Win For Lakers
The Lakers have limited assets to offer in a trade for a superstar-level player, which is why Jerami Grant is a logical and proper target for the front office.
Grant would be the ideal addition for a Los Angeles team that’s strictly in win-now mode with the James-Davis super tandem still intact. By adding Grant, LA would have that third dynamic scorer to help them compete with the top teams in the West.
