Epic Lakers Trade Idea Lands Them Star LaMelo Ball From Hornets

The Lakers have always swung big for stars, and this trade proposal would be another one.

Dec 26, 2024; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Charlotte Hornets guard LaMelo Ball (1) drives to the basket as Washington Wizards forward Kyshawn George (18) defends in the second quarter at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images / Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

The Los Angeles Lakers have always swung big for stars. That's something they have been known for in their history. Usually, it's because they are signing a big free agent. In this trade proposal, it would be trading for a big-time star. After considering the CBA and using the Spotrac trade machine, this is what it looks like:

Lakers receive: LaMelo Ball

Hornets receive: Rui Hachimura, Jarred Vanderbilt, Gabe Vincent, Dalton Knecht, a 2029 first-round draft pick, a 2030 first-round draft pick swap, and a 2031 first-round draft pick

The Lakers have a big issue with a lack of ball-handlers now that D'Angelo Russell has been sent to Brooklyn. That puts a lot of pressure on LeBron James and Austin Reaves in the starting lineup to create offense not just for themselves, but everyone else as well.

Adding Ball would give the Lakers a dynamic passer who can also create offense for himself. He's a point guard who takes the scoring burden off of James and Anthony Davis during the regular season. It would allow them to kind of coast until the playoffs get closer.

Ball is averaging 30.1 points, 7.4 assists, and 5.3 rebounds per game. He is one of the dynamic scorers in the league right now, and he can do it at all three levels. He's a career 37 percent 3-point shooter as well, so he spaces the floor in a different way than what the Lakers currently can do.

The argument against this trade is the fact that a move like this takes away all of the depth from the team. Shipping out Hachimura, Vincent, and Knecht would cripple the bench. Three first-round picks are also a steep price to pay for a win-now move.

Ball also comes with a significant risk of injury. He has had ankle issues throughout his career and has played more than 51 games just once in his five-year career. To give up that much for someone who misses so much time on the court is a massive risk.

Add in the fact that Davis and James are an injury risk as well, and the overall risk of this trade is just too high for most Lakers fans. Unless Los Angeles is absolutely convinced that Ball's offense offsets all of those risks, they would likely look elsewhere to improve their roster as the trade deadline gets closer.

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