Proposed Trade To Land Lakers The Big Man They Desire
The LA Lakers are still in need of another legit big man to back up Walker Kessler, and the latest target to be bandied about is Naz Reid. He was acquired by the Charlotte Hornets this summer as part of the LaMelo Ball trade with the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report has proposed a trade that would land Reid in LA, playing off of a recent disagreement between Charlotte Hornets head coach Charles Lee & Reid.
Los Angeles Lakers receive:
- Naz Reid, Tidjane Salaün
Charlotte Hornets receive:
- Cameron Carr
- Adou Thiero
- Jarred Vanderbilt
- Jaden Hardy
- $23.3 million trade exception (Naz Reid)
- 2032 first-round pick swap
- 2033 second-round pick
The Lakers have been off to an excellent start this season, but they can't continue to ignore the fact that they do not have a legit backup '5'. And some would argue that goes for the '4' in a starter's role as well.
"Reid would presumably start at power forward, then rotate to center when Kessler sits," writes Pincus. "The Lakers don't improve defensively, but they add high-end depth, and Reid is a significant offensive upgrade."
Aside from that little benching a few games back, Reid is off to a career-best start in Charlotte as a first-time full-time starter after seven years of coming off the bench in the NBA. He's averaging 17.4 points per game and 8.5 rebounds, both significantly higher than his previous bests.
Why would the Hornets trade Reid to the Lakers?
As Pincus admits, this is not something the Hornets would look to do just yet, as Reid was a big part of the return for LaMelo. But if the disconnect between coach and big man became "untenable", the Lakers should pounce.
Reid was benched for the second half of a game late last month, and Lee said that Reid "didn't meet our standards in the first half."
In this hypothetical offer from the Lakers, Charlotte would get a couple of promising young players, a big trade exception to work with, and some draft capital.
Carr, a first-rounder this year for the Lakers, had an outstanding Summer League, while Thiero has shown some promise in the G League.
In summary, Pincus says this proposed deal would only be a realistic possibility if the Reid-Lee relationship continues to go off the rails in Charlotte.