Lakers: Clippers Make the Type of Trade that LA Desperately Needs

The Clippers did what the Lakers need to do on Friday - acquire proven, veteran talent.

The floundering Lakers (25-28) might be in need of a roster shakeup. The NBA trade deadline, February 10th, is less than a week away, and as of Friday afternoon, the Lakers roster remains the same. Now, the argument could be made, as it has all season, that the Lakers just need to get healthy. Another argument is that the Lakers need to make the type of trade that the Clippers executed on Friday.

Less than 12 hours after beating the Lakers, the Clippers acquired swingman Norman Powell and forward Robert Covington from the Blazers. 

The Clippers are trading Eric Bledsoe, Justise Winslow, Keon Johnson and future second-round pick to the Trail Blazers for Norman Powell and Robert Covington, sources tell ESPN.

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) February 4, 2022

Both are legitimate rotation players and proven veterans. Powell was the ever-valuable sixth-man on the Toronto Raptors 2019 championship. Covington provides additional lineup flexibility and lends himself to small ball lineups.

Is the deal going to make the Clippers championship favorites? Absolutely not.

But it’s the type of substance-over-style upgrade that the Lakers sorely need.

It’s also important to note that Lakers owner Jeanie Buss isn’t a billionaire like the Clippers Steve Ballmer. Buss and the Lakers are unlikely to push themselves deeper into the luxury tax with pricey, expiring contracts like Covington ($12.9M).

To be clear, “type of trade” is the operative phrase. The Lakers, on top of luxury tax concerns, are so short on assets that acquiring Covington and Powell was likely never on their radar. Theoretically, LA’s trade package would have been Talen Horton-Tucker, Kendrick Nunn, and a slew of veterans on minimum deals to make the money work.

“Hey Portland, do you want to control the buy-out market? You do, cool! Here’s a bunch of underperforming ancient veterans, a guard who hasn’t played all year, and yet another guard who needs the ball in his hands! Don’t worry, he’ll be an unrestricted free agent in 2023 and you’ll get to deal with Klutch Sports if you want to keep him. Do we have a deal?”

It’s time to get realistic Lakers fans. Rival teams aren’t just gonna hand over All-Star caliber talent for THT, Nunn, and LA’s 2027 first-round pick. It ain't 2008 anymore.

At this point, the 2027 pick is the most valuable of those three assets. Perhaps the draft pick goblin himself, OKC Thunder GM Sam Presti, is the one to call?

Acquiring Julius Randle, Jerami Grant, or Buddy Hield seems far-fetched, at best. If the Lakers are hell-bent on a trade, they need to set their sights on acquiring a proven veteran.