Dangerous Trade Deal The Lakers Should Avoid At All Cost

The Los Angeles Lakers could be presented with the choice to overhaul their roster this winter, as Rob Pelinka is reportedly willing to move players and picks to land players who can be difference-makers and can grow under JJ Redick over the next three to five seasons. 

The Lakers need to strike a balance between acquiring win-now players and players who could stay with them for years to come, with potential deals offering them what they want theoretically. A team like the Toronto Raptors definitely could give the Lakers a strong reason to cash in their chips to land a future star and two talented rotational players who can help them now.

Trade Details

Los Angeles Lakers Receive: RJ Barrett, Bruce Brown, Chris Boucher 

Toronto Raptors Receive: D'Angelo Russell, Rui Hachimura, Gabe Vincent, Jarred Vanderbilt, Christian Wood, 2029 First-Round Pick (LAL)

The Raptors add multiple assets that could find a home on the franchise or be traded away instantly at the expense of two players who are disgruntled and one young star in Barrett. RJ is the main attraction for the Lakers to part with their coveted 2029 first-round pick, with the perfect depth pieces making the deal even more enticing. But the Lakers need to stay away from this deal.

Lakers Buying Into A Roster That Won't Work

RJ Barrett is having a phenomenal production season with the Raptors, averaging 23.7 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 6.3 assists. This shows he's a well-rounded swingman who can score when required, defend at a high level, and even be an on-ball decision-maker. These stats on most young players would make them hot property, but there's a larger trend with Barrett's career that could hurt the Lakers that we can't ignore.

Barrett's numbers are incredible but they're as empty as they get, given the Raptors have given him the ultimate green light this season. We have seen the improvement the New York Knicks made last season after trading him away and the Raptors have a 17-41 record in games Barrett has played doesn't prove he can be a winning player within a specific role next to LeBron James and Anthony Davis on the Lakers.

Chris Boucher is averaging 10.3 points and 4.5 rebounds as an expiring contract and would be an intriguing big next to or behind Davis in the rotation, but he isn't a high-level needle-mover. The same can be said about Bruce Brown, who's spent this season injured and hasn't looked like the lynchpin he was for the Denver Nuggets in their 2023 title triumph.

Boucher and Brown could improve the Lakers on the margins, but this deal would annihilate the Lakers' depth and won't give them the tools they need to win. They lose multiple valuable players and still don't reinforce their shooting in this move, with Barrett's streaky jumper likely creating more problems than it would solve.

The Raptors Set The Lakers Up 

The Raptors are tanking this season and have bought into Scottie Barnes being the future of the franchise by trying to develop him into a point forward this season. Barrett is the main scorer, but Barnes is the real franchise cornerstone. Leveraging RJ's value to land five players and an extremely valuable first-round pick would be a solid move on the Raptors' part.

Rui Hachimura is averaging 12.2 points and 5.4 rebounds, proving to be a valuable future piece for the franchise, along with Jarred Vanderbilt if he can recover from his recent injuries. He's on an affordable long-term contract, meaning the Raptors can afford to be patient with him and extract the value that made him one of the best defenders in the NBA. 

D'Angelo Russell is averaging 12.5 points and 4.7 assists this season, likely hitting free agency next season as the Raptors would benefit from letting his $18 million contract come off their books to create more space. The same goes for Christian Wood's minimum $3 million deal.

Gabe Vincent is considered to be a great veteran around the NBA, and his two-year deal will likely be spent at the end of the Raptors bench as a mentor for players like Immanuel Quickley. He won't generate much value as an individual trade piece either, so the Raptors will likely hold onto his contract until it expires in 2026.

Superficial Upgrades Won't Help The Lakers

A trio of Barrett, Brown, and Boucher for essentially two valuable Lakers rotation players like Russell and Hachimura doesn't seem that bad. Vincent has been a negative for most Laker fans while Vanderbilt and Wood haven't played a single minute this season. Three rotational players for this price seems enticing for the Lakers, especially if they can open roster spots to sign free agents to fill in the gaps.

But this deal would tie the Lakers' future up even more. Barrett might not pan out as a premier perimeter option, which would force the franchise to hold onto his contract until it expires in 2028. The pick they gave up is due after that, so the Raptors might find themselves holding a very valuable draft asset if they can pull this deal off.

The upside for the Lakers is minimal and they should avoid doing this, even if Barrett's stats and the addition of Brown and Boucher can provide a short-term boost before the Lakers invariably start losing games again due to injuries or a lack of shooting on the roster.