The Only Way The Los Angeles Lakers Can Land Victor Wembanyama And Save The Franchise
The Los Angeles Lakers could use overhyped prospect Victor Wembanyama to start a rebuilding process. It will be a hard job, but the Purple and Gold could land the skilled young man to lead them to the promised land.
Credit: Fadeaway World
The Los Angeles Lakers are in dire straits. And 35 games into the 2022-23 season, their chances of making the postseason look bleaker with every defeat they endure.
It's hard to imagine this outfit bouncing back into playoff contention, let alone staking a claim for another championship. There's nothing novel about what the Lakers are going through this season, considering they went through the same last year. They failed to make the playoffs ending their regular season with a 33-49 record.
If it's any consolation, they might not face the 17-65 humiliation this year. Much of their hopes are on LeBron James, and Anthony Davis, both of whom have played their parts in stitching up the 14 wins the team has to show for this season.
And just when Lakers fans dreamt that this could be the side that may go the distance, Davis sustained a stress fracture, and James was expected to bench three times his weight just to carry the team across the line.
To his credit, he's doing the best he can. James' last ten games have seen him notch up 30+ points in seven of them, and while that may take him closer to becoming the leading scorer in the NBA, surpassing Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, it's perhaps not enough to see him don his fifth ring.
There's a significant buzz that's generated every time the franchise's name comes up in trade discussions. So far, the side has reportedly made beelines for the Indiana Pacers duo of Myles Turner and Buddy Hield, the Chicago Bulls Big 3 — DeMar DeRozan, Nikola Vucevic, and Zach LaVine, and even New York Knicks' stars Derrick Rose and Cam Reddish.
Then comes the uncertainty of not trading their picks. There have been reports of the front office not parting with their future picks unless the deal lands a star who can grow alongside Davis.
Good thought. But what about the promise they made James, who has defied age and conventional wisdom to continue his prime form?
For now, it's all up in the air, and in the meantime, the Lakers suffer one loss after another with that odd win in between that feels like fresh cream between two stale Oreos. It's almost as if the LeBron James era is coming to a close, and the team needs a fresh start, maybe the beginning of the Lakers' resurgence to greatness.
This would pretty much mean knifing James in the back by not giving him the resources that would elevate the Lakers to instant title contenders. While the move of not trading their picks perhaps gives them a future star in the making, it might also mean disrespecting one of the greatest players in the sport by making him a mere point-churning machine.
On that note, enter Victor Wembanyama.
Is he the Lakers' messiah? There's every reason why he could be, and also be one of the factors for James to stick around in LA, especially after his bombshell postgame press conference after the loss to the Miami Heat, which clearly outlined how disappointed he was with the state of affairs.
With that, here's how the side can acquire Wembanyama's services and hopefully add more titles to their already filled-up cabinet.
Trading Anthony Davis Is The Destiny For The Los Angeles Lakers
As much as the Lakers sacrificed to acquire Anthony Davis, they will have to perhaps ship him to recalibrate. At the time of writing, the odds of this happening are practically nil, but it's either that or going through another slump.
The Lakers trading Davis would mean a double whammy for James, but on the flip side, the prospect provides a solid chance of winning another title. Not to mention, they will have the cap space for another superstar, so if there is a DeRozan or LaVine deal that's still on the table, landing one of them would make the Lakers bonafide title contenders.
From the Wemby perspective, trading Davis is a win-win deal for any of the teams that are frontrunners to land the French superstars. But that deal means the Purple and Gold getting their hands on the unprotected 2023 first-round picks from either the Houston Rockets or the Detroit Pistons, along with a salary match for the big man's contract from expiring contracts.
Per Spotrac, Davis signed a five-year, $185 million deal with the Lakers and is contracted through 2024-25 with an early termination option in 2024. His final season puts him on a $43.2 million pay. However, their intentions of heading into a rebuild must be made clear.
Given Davis' skills and injury history, he's an asset and a bane, but that's the risk franchises will be willing to take, especially if they have a roster that eases the load on his back, quite literally.
There would be no shortage of teams willing to trade multiple stars and even picks to sweeten the deal. At the time of writing, the Rockets, Pistons, and Hornets are some of the leading contenders to land Wemby, and the Lakers can look to deal if they are intent on having him in their ranks.
According to Tankathon, the aforementioned teams have a 14% chance of acquiring the No. 1 pick. The San Antonio Spurs and the Orlando Magic have 12.5% and a 10.5% chance. The Lakers are at 9.0% but will have the New Orleans Pelicans smiling if they indeed land the prospect.
Per NBA Draft Room, Wemby to the Pistons is the latest update, meaning LA could start dealing with them by offering Davis. On the flip side, there's also every chance that the front office would scoff at this contract.
By offering him a five-year deal, the franchise made a bold statement that he was the future of the franchise, and given the shrewd operator Rob Pelinka is, the idea would be to land a superstar alongside their center.
Why Would The Detroit Pistons Or The Houston Rockets Want Anthony Davis?
To start with, the Rockets are one of the teams that have been buzzing not just for landing Wemby but also the destination for James Harden's rumored return.
The Rockets are also one of the teams flush with cap space the following season, and if they could strike a deal that would give them Davis and pair him alongside the likes of Harden, Jalen Green, Jabari Smith Jr, Kevin Porter Jr., and Alperen Sengun, they would immediately be postseason and beyond contenders.
The current season has seen some of these Rockets showcase their potential. Green and Porter are averaging 21.6 and 19.3 points, while Smith and Sengun are playing their parts with 12.1 and 14.4 points, respectively.
Davis was on a rampage for the Lakers, averaging 27.4 points, 12.1 rebounds, and 2.1 blocks, and when healthy, the product remains consistent. His 25 games this season already saw his name come up in the MVP chatter, and the hope for next year would be a longer run without an injury breakdown.
The Rockets will benefit even better if Davis sits out for the rest of this season, so his healthier version could dominate the floor with some young faces in the mix.
The same applies to the Pistons, who have boasted of potential in Cade Cunningham and Jaden Ivey. Despite their 9-28 record that sees them at the bottom in the East, their players have shown enough quality, and an experienced campaigner in Davis with some perfect pieces will perhaps see them take the same route as the New Orleans Pelicans this season.
Also, factoring in the possibility that the two teams end up as the worst sides this season with the maximum probability of winning a lottery, there is always that question of guarantee of who would win.
With Davis in their ranks, the sides have a shot at playing some quality ball and handing over the keys to the center, who will at least give them MVP-caliber performances without any risk.
Will The Los Angeles Lakers Get Second-Time Lucky Like How They Did With Magic Johnson?
It was pretty much a gift of magic the way the Lakers landed Earvin Magic Johnson. The odds of acquiring the flamboyant and versatile guard were minute.
But it all began when Gail Goodrich, a member of the '72 Lakers unit, wanted out, and he said he had the right to ink a contract with the New Orleans Jazz. However, free agency rules stated that the Lakers had to receive compensation to let the trade pass.
A deal was made to send the side the top pick of the Jazz from the '79 NBA Draft, and the Lakers were pretty much in line to acquire one of the two top picks after the Jazz spent the 1978-79 season as the team with the wooden spoon.
During that time, there was no lottery system, and the order of selection was via coin toss between the worst teams in each conference. The Lakers won the flip over the Chicago Bulls, who picked David Greenwood, and the former bagged Johnson with both hands, who then led the franchise to nine NBA Finals in 12 seasons, winning the title five times.
History apart, the Lakers will hope they can get lucky with Wemby. Having him in the Lakers camp will see them acquire another future superstar, who has already been compared to the likes of Davis and James. And what better for a team that has a decorated past and looking to build on it?
Lady luck smiled at the Lakers with the whole Magic story, and there's every chance that one gets second-time lucky at some stage. Only time will tell if the franchise hits another jackpot.
The New Era Of The Los Angeles Lakers
There's every chance that Wemby's arrival will have LeBron James staying back in Los Angeles. The veteran had labeled the prodigy as an "alien," and safe to say, he would be thrilled at the prospect of sharing the floor with a player who's projected to be the next big thing in the NBA.
According to Alex Kennedy of Basketball News, James had enough to say about the super-talented player calling him a generational talent.
"What do I think of him? Probably the same as everybody else thinks. Everybody is labeling [players] this 'unicorn' thing; everybody has been a 'unicorn' over the last couple years, but he's more like an alien," James told reporters. "I've never seen — no one has ever seen — anyone as tall as he is but as fluid as he is and as graceful as he is out on the floor. I mean, at 7-foot-4 or 7-foot-5 or 7-foot-3 or whatever the case may be, [with] his ability to put the ball on the floor, shoot step-back jumpers out of the post, step-back threes, catch-and-shoot threes, block shots — he's for sure a generational talent.
"Hopefully, he continues to stay healthy; that's what is most important for him personally. But you can tell he loves the game; he was smiling a lot while playing the game last night. I think those were the two best players in the [2023] draft on the floor last night, and they both did their thing. He's a big-time player, and Scoot is a big-time player as well."
It would work both ways. While Wemby would have the opportunity to learn from the greatest players to have played, the seasoned campaigner could use his experience to pitch in and help the Lakers get back to winning ways. It might just be the dawn of another Showtime era.
And it works on the moolah front as well. With Russell Westbrook unlikely to be retained, the franchise can breathe easy and usher in more competitive pieces alongside the duo while also reaping the benefits of Davis' salary relief.
All things considered, this may happen, or there's wishful thinking from the Laker faithful that the side would go on another dynasty run. In James, they have a star who has defied father time and has continued to dish out the kind of production you would expect from someone a decade younger.
His unparalleled game awareness and IQ, coupled with supreme athleticism, suggests he could play for another few years, and should it mean playing alongside the Frenchman, the Lakers and James will get what they want.
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