Several circumstances have led to the Los Angeles Lakers being in the position that they currently are as the 2021-22 NBA season begins to wind down. It would be fair to ask, what if, to some of the things they have been linked to and how differently they would have played out.
What if the Lakers had completed the trade with the Sacramento Kings centered around Buddy Hield instead of acquiring Russell Westbrook from the Washington Wizards? That can be taken even another step back.
What if the Lakers had traded Talen Horton-Tucker to the Toronto Raptors at last season’s trade deadline in a deal that was centered around Kyle Lowry? There likely would have been no Westbrook trade and if a deal was made, Hield could have still been a logical target.
A potential starting lineup of Lowry, Hield, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, LeBron James, Anthony Davis with some veteran’s minimum players, such as Carmelo Anthony, Malik Monk and Dwight Howard coming off the bench likely would be a lot better than what Los Angeles is trotting out there currently.
LATEST NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Could Lakers Trade Anthony Davis To Celtics For Jaylen Brown?
If they don’t even end up trading for Hield, they would have Kyle Kuzma, Montrezl Harrell and a player from the 2022 NBA Draft on the roster instead. That team is a lot more dangerous than the current group that was a result of the Westbrook trade.
This all goes back to the team’s reluctance to part ways with Talen Horton-Tucker at last year’s trade deadline. However, less than a year later, the Los Angeles Lakers were looking to trade him and the Toronto Raptors once again emerged as a potential landing spot.
“At the 2021 trade deadline, the Lakers retreated from talks with Toronto to acquire Kyle Lowry, both in reticence to the knowledge Lowry sought the exorbitant three-year deal he ultimately secured in free agency, and Los Angeles’ resistance to part with Talen Horton-Tucker, sources told B/R. Flash forward to this year’s trade deadline, and the Lakers were once again in serious talks that nearly sent Horton-Tucker to those same Raptors.”
LATEST NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Could Lakers Trade Anthony Davis To Celtics For Jaylen Brown?
What the Lakers would have gotten in return for Horton-Tucker is unclear. There were some reports that Los Angeles was interested in Gary Trent Jr., but it would have likely taken a lot more than Horton-Tucker and salary filler to get Toronto to bite at that.
Hindsight is 20/20, but could the Lakers front office had foreseen what was coming this season, they likely would have parted ways with Horton-Tucker at the deadline in 2021. This roster is now depleted of any real assets to make a big acquisition and the team is lacking draft capital as well.
LATEST NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Could Lakers Trade Anthony Davis To Celtics For Jaylen Brown?
It could very well cost Rob Pelinka his job, as the Los Angeles Lakers are nearly as close to landing the No. 1 odds in the 2022 NBA Draft Lottery as they are to having home-court advantage in a round of the 2022 postseason.
