Lakers Rumors: L.A. Lowballed Spurs In Possible Doug McDermott, Josh Richardson Deal
Are your Los Angeles Lakers not serious about moving on from the $47.1 million expiring salary of sixth man Russell Westbrook in a trade this season? The team has now fallen to a 2-8 record, achieved while mostly healthy (well, as healthy as LeBron James and Anthony Davis can be these days). It needs shooting help all over the floor and defensive help along the perimeter.
San Antonio Spurs vets Doug McDermott and Josh Richardson collectively could help with some of that. Both are knockdown high-volume three-point shooters. This year, Richardson is making 41.9% of its 4.8 long-range looks a night. McDermott is nailing 43.1% of his 5.1 triple tries this season.
McDermott is a big body but not much of a defender, while Richardson is solid on that end of the floor. Both would instantly become the Lakers' third- and fourth-best players, in some order, were a trade to crystallize.
But it seems that Los Angeles may not be that interested in trading for this dynamic duo.
A source has informed LJ Ellis of Spurs Talk that Los Angeles only offered two future second-round draft picks plus Westbrook in exchange for McDermott and Richardson. Given that Westbrook's contract is a negative asset, one that hypothetical trade partners seem reticent to take on, this was clearly a lowball offer. McDermott and Richardson are both elite three-point shooters this season, two players L.A. could really, really use. Offering up at least one lottery-protected (or maybe just top-10 protected) first-rounder seems like the bare minimum trade return in such a deal.
Ellis writes that the Spurs would not retain Westbrook, and would instead waive his money so that he could link up with another team.
To be fair, one has to wonder just how good James and Davis are anymore. Both players are now often injured (they've each been playing through injuries for most of the season), and have become a bit more limited on one end of the floor than either would probably care to admit. In terms of James, he remains a good offensive player and an uninterested defensive one, but even his offense has taken a significant dip this year. How much of that is due to the sore foot and recent non-COVID-19 illness that have ailed him lately is unclear. For Davis, his output on offense has eroded, though he remains a quality defender.
Maybe L.A.'s front office, led by Rob Pelinka, realizes just how lackluster the team will be regardless of whether or not it adds McDermott and Richardson (this writer predicts a play-in-level team should it make that move). Perhaps a more meaningful move, like for Myles Turner and Buddy Hield of the Indiana Pacers, could make Los Angeles a bit better than that.
