Bogdan Bogdanovic, Atlanta Hawks. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports
The Lakers missed out on the Kyrie Irving trade, so what can Los Angeles now pivot to ahead of the NBA Trade Deadline in order to upgrade the roster?
Once Kyrie Irving requested a trade from the Brooklyn Nets, it seemed like the Los Angeles Lakers were the most obvious landing spot for the veteran guard to reunite him with LeBron James. The Dallas Mavericks, however, had other plans.
On Sunday, the Mavs traded three future draft picks, Spencer Dinwiddie and Dorian Finney-Smith to Brooklyn for Irving. Now, the Lakers will have to work out another trade if they are going to make a splash before the Feb. 9 NBA Trade Deadline.
There have reportedly been talks about a trade involving Russell Westbrook with the Utah Jazz that would land LA Jarred Vanderbilt and Mike Conley, among others. However, the Lakers can do better than that, especially to make up for missing out on Kyrie Irving. Here are a few backup plans they could now turn to in order to make a final push to become a playoff team in the Western Conference.
Lakers trade rumors: 3 Kyrie Irving backup plans Los Angeles can pursue
3
Bogdan Bogdanovic
G Atlanta Hawks
Bogdan Bogdanovic could give the Lakers a floor-spacing shooter they need
One of the biggest weaknesses that the Lakers roster currently has is the lack of spacing and shooting — at least in any type of consistent manner. While Irving would’ve provided that in addition to his own shot creation and playmaking, Los Angeles needs to try and simply fill that void around LeBron, who remains one of the NBA’s best facilitators.
That’s where someone like Atlanta Hawks guard Bogdan Bogdanovic could come into play. The 6-foot-6 Serbian wing is part of a team that seems on the verge of blowing it up and LA could try and take advantage of that. In fact, Dan Woike of the Los Angeles Times noted that the Lakers could make a move for Bogdanovic at the deadline.
It’s not hard to see why, either. Not only is having a 30-year-old wing who doesn’t create his own shot all that often not particularly valuable for Atlanta, but he’s an ideal fit for the what LA needs. He’s shot 38.2 percent from 3-point range over his six NBA seasons and has been over 36.5 percent in each of the past two seasons.
Perhaps one of the cheaper options that we could see Rob Pelinka and company go after at the trade deadline, landing Bogdanovic could be a beautiful supplementary move that would help the team make a real push towards the postseason with how he fits seamlessly into the roster.