Lakers Land Star Paul George in Blockbuster Mock Trade Proposal

Matt Levine | 2 Hours Ago

Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

The Los Angeles Lakers are expected to be one of the more active teams across the NBA ahead of the trade deadline. The front office will be trying to put the roster in a better place to find success before the postseason this time around.

Where things currently stand, the Lakers can compete in the Western Conference but they don't have a strong chance of coming out of the loaded conference. Multiple reports have Los Angeles looking into adding a center to bolster their frontcourt depth.

But the team could also look to heavily blow things up and bring in another star player to pair alongside LeBron James and Anthony Davis.

ClutchPoints writer Anthony Irwin proposed a mock trade that would send the Lakers one of the stars from the Philadelphia 76ers.

Lakers receive: Paul George

76ers receive: Guard D'Angelo Russell, forward Rui Hachimura, forward Gabe Vincent, forward Cam Reddish, a 2029 first-round Pick, and a 2031 first-round draft pick

Trading both draft picks for George would be a massive loss but adding the multi-time All-Star into the lineup could be worth it. George would give Los Angeles another star to work with and a talented scoring wing who can defend.

While his defense isn't what it used to be, George is better than anything that the Lakers currently have. Los Angeles would get its third star and could position themselves better moving forward

Philadelphia has struggled heavily out of the gates, in part due to injury. All three of their star players, including George, have missed time due to injuries and it's hurt them in the standings.

The biggest downside to any George deal would be his injury history. Los Angeles is well aware of it and would likely be a little hesitant to give up so much for him.

But in order to maximize their potential with the James-Davis pairing, adding someone like George does make sense. It will be up to Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka to weigh the pros and cons of doing a deal like this but Los Angeles does need some extra firepower.

It's unlikely that the 76ers move George this early into his tenure with the team but weirder things have happened. Philadelphia could see a major move like this as a way out and the Lakers could be their lifeboat.

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