The Lakers are under the microscope for the lack of trade action during the offseason and one NBA insider revealed the biggest mistake that was made.
That was the team that committed to a four-year, $32 million free agent contract with Max Christie, including a four-year player option.
Athletic's John Hollinger explains why the deal became a problem.
“The problem was that A) they really tried him (944 minutes in 67 games), and B) he wasn't good (8.4 PER, minus-3.6 BPM), so C) he couldn't crack. strong rotation of what was arguably the worst bench in the league,” Hollinger said.
The move also had a big impact on the team, Hollinger explained.
“…What made this move so remarkable was that it took the Lakers out of other free agency situations,” Hollinger wrote. “Any team that has LeBron James and Anthony Davis must go deep now, and the Lakers seem to have lost other opportunities to go there.
“… Christie was another opportunity cost, because Christie's $7.1 million cap number removed the Lakers from using a different midlevel of taxpayers while they stayed under the second apron.”
Aside from the Cavs and Celtics, the Lakers franchise is the only team that did not make a trade move in the offseason.
Looking to the future, Ringer's Kevin O'Connor dropped a bombshell over the weekend, saying that LA's long-term plan includes signing Dallas star Luka Doncic — which could explain the team's lack of trade this summer.
“I have reported on this podcast and The Ringer how [the Lakers] they looked at Luke. We will see if that is successful,” he said The difference. “Dallas just made the finals, Dallas looks better than ever with its supporting cast. That may not work, but the Lakers by not trading their future pick are clearly still thinking long term at this point. They don't all go in as you would expect most teams to do with James.”
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