The Los Angeles Lakers are surprisingly struggling in the 2021-22 NBA season. Despite the improvements that they made on their roster in the last offseason, the Lakers are still unable to consistently win games. As of now, they have only won six of their last 11 games, sitting in the No. 8 spot in the Western Conference with a 6-5 record.
The Lakers still have plenty of time to improve their game but if they want to have a better chance of winning the NBA championship, they should strongly consider finding more roster upgrades before the 2022 NBA trade deadline.
Eric Gordon To Lakers
One of the most realistic trade targets for the Lakers is veteran shooting guard Eric Gordon of the Houston Rockets. In a recent article, Kenneth Teape of NBA Analysis Network came up with a hypothetical blockbuster trade idea that would enable the Lakers to acquire Gordon from the Rockets before the 2022 NBA trade deadline.
In the proposed trade scenario, the Lakers would be sending a package that includes Talen Horton-Tucker and Kendrick Nunn to the Rockets in exchange for Gordon and a 2024 second-round pick.
Lakers' Three-Point Shooting
Gordon would be a welcome addition to the Lakers. His potential arrival in Los Angeles would help them improve their three-point shooting percentage where they currently rank No. 8 in the league, per NBA.com. The 32-year-old shooting guard would give the Purple and Gold an elite three-point shooter who has plenty of playoff experience.
This season, Gordon is averaging 13.8 points while shooting 51.4 percent from the field and 52.9 percent from beyond the arc, per ESPN. With his ability to excel in an off-ball capacity, he would be an ideal fit with the Lakers’ core of LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and Russell Westbrook.
A No-Brainer For The Rockets
Meanwhile, the proposed deal would make a lot of sense for the Rockets, especially now that they are in the initial phase of the rebuilding process. The Rockets would be actually hitting two birds with one stone in the suggested trade. Aside from successfully getting rid of Gordon and his massive salary, they would also be acquiring two young and promising talents who could be part of their long-term future.
Horton-Tucker and Nunn could join Jalen Green, Christian Wood, and Kevin Porter Jr. and form the core of the next title-contending team that the Rockets would try to build in the post-James Harden era.
Lakers Would Think Twice
While the proposed deal is a no-brainer for the Rockets, the Lakers would definitely think twice before pulling the trigger on such a trade scenario. Despite what Gordon could contribute on the offensive end of the floor, it remains a big question mark if the Lakers are willing to give him a promising player like THT for an aging sharpshooter.
Also, acquiring Gordon from the Rockets would affect the Lakers’ salary cap flexibility in the next three years. Per Spotrac, the veteran shooting guard’s four-year, $ 75 million contract is set to expire in the summer of 2024.
]]>The Inquisitr
