Lakers Predicted to Land $61M Center in Deal For Rui Hachimura, Jarred Vanderbilt

Sporting a 22-17 record and having won their last two contests, the Los Angeles Lakers find themselves barely out of the Western Conference's play-in tournament bracket. L.A. is currently just 0.5 games ahead of the 23-19 Dallas Mavericks, who likely will start winning a lot more games once Luka Doncic returns.
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Los Angeles has already made moves to improve its current state.
The team exchanged former reserve point guard D'Angelo Russell, little-used second-year forward Maxwell Lewis, a second round draft pick who never made a rotational dent, and three future second round picks to the Brooklyn Nets in exchange for 3-and-D swingman Dorian Finney-Smith and shooting guard Shake Milton.
Los Angeles improved its wing defense with Finney-Smith, who's also a pretty efficient jump shooter and off-ball cutter. But the Lakers could still use some major help at center, where the team has struggled behind nine-time All-Star Anthony Davis, and in finding a cheaper Russell replacement.
Ishaan Bhattacharya of Fadeaway Sports proposes an intriguing deal that would see the Lakers significantly improve their frontcourt defense and replenish the supplemental ball handling and scoring at the guard position they lost in the D'Angelo Russell trade. Here, Los Angeles would add two veteran role players from the Atlanta Hawks, and would only need to sacrifice some future draft equity and Rui Hachimura to do it.
Los Angeles Lakers Receive: Onyeka Okongwu ($14.0 million), Bogdan Bogdanovic ($17.0 million)
Atlanta Hawks Receive: Rui Hachimura ($17.0 million), Jarred Vanderbilt ($10.4 million), Jalen Hood-Schifino ($3.8 million), 2029 First-Round Pick (LAL), 2025 Second-Round Pick (LAL)
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Vanderbilt, who's missed most of the last two years with injuries and is virtually unplayable in the postseason due to his offensive limitations, would essentially be a throw-in. Hood-Schifino is fairly raw, and given that he's only in his second season, he may just need more of a look from a rebuilding team.
Giving up a lottery-protected first round pick seems like a reasonable move for Los Angeles to make, but anything more than that should give L.A. team president Rob Pelinka pause.
This year, Okongwu is still backing up starter Clint Capela the five spot. The 24-year-old is averaging 11.2 points on 54.6 percent field goal shooting and 75.9 percent free throw shooting, 7.4 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 0.8 blocks and 0.7 steals a night.
Bogdanovic, meanwhile, has taken a step back in the Hawks' rotation this season. In a career-low 25.3 minutes a night, the 32-year-old vet is averaging 10.7 points on .388/.323/.913 shooting splits, 2.6 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 0.9 steals per game.
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