The L.A. Lakers had a quiet offseason, and appear ready to run back the same roster that lost in the first round of the playoffs to the Denver Nuggets. They drafted Dalton Knecht and Bronny James and hired JJ Redick as their new head coach, but had a mostly uneventful summer.
Across the country, the New York Knicks were busy in the City That Never Sleeps. They re-signed OG Anunoby, extended Jalen Brunson, and traded for Mikal Bridges in the hopes of winning the Big Apple its first NBA championship since 1973. Outside of the Boston Celtics, the Knicks are the favorites to win the Eastern Conference.
However, it wasn’t the perfect offseason in New York, as center Isaiah Hartenstein signed with the Oklahoma City Thunder. That left the Knicks with only the injury-prone Mitchell Robinson and largely unproven Precious Achiuwa as the only centers in New York. The Knicks have been included in trade rumors all summer long as they hope to add a legitimate backup behind Robinson.
The Lakers recently signedChristian Koloko, who they hope can be an athletic backup for Anthony Davis. As LA hunts for more shot creation, the two biggest markets in the NBA could strike up a trade.
Lakers and Knicks Mock Trade
Knicks add center depth, Lakers add a shooter and ball-handler
With Koloko taking a spot in the Lakers’ frontcourt, Jaxson Hayes becomes expendable. In four years with the New Orleans Pelicans, he emerged as a solid backup center before riding the bench last season in Hollywood. The Knicks have been linked to Walker Kessler, although Hayes is the type of rebounding presence the Knicks could use in their frontcourt.
In return for Hayes, the Lakers could use shooting. They shot a solid 37.7 percent from three last year but were 28th in attempts per game. However, their bench shot 34.2 percent from three last season, good for 23rd in the NBA, and managed to make only a quarter of their threes in the playoffs.
| LA Lakers Shooting Stats (2023-24) | ||
|---|---|---|
| Category | Stat | NBA Rank |
| Starters 3PTA | 22.0 | 18/30 |
| Starters 3PT% | 39.4% | 4/30 |
| Bench 3PTA | 9.4 | 29/30 |
| Bench 3PT% | 34.2% | 23/30 |
| Team Playoff 3PTA | 29.4 | 15/16 |
| Team Playoff 3PT% | 29.9% | 15/16 |
Miles McBride averaged 8.3 points for the Knicks last season and shot an elite 41 percent from three. In the playoffs, he upped his volume to 11 points per game, but his efficiency fell to only 36.8 percent from behind the arc. However, the Lakers will look to add shooters to compliment Knecht, and McBride is a solid backup point guard who adds some insurance behind D’Angelo Russell.
Lakers and Knicks Full Mock Trade
Lakers Receive
- Miles McBride
Knicks Receive
- Miles McBride
- Cam Reddish
Cam Reddish is mostly thrown in for salary-matching purposes, although his former head coach, Tom Thibodeau, praised him for finding his footing with the Lakers.
“He’s played well. The first thing is to embrace the role, and I think he’s done a really good job for them.” -Thibodeau
Perhaps he could continue to find success in a second stint with the Knicks.
In this deal, the Knicks lose a key bench piece in McBride, although Donte DiVincenzo, Josh Hart, Cameron Payne, and Tyler Kolek should be able to replace his effectiveness in the second unit. The Knicks receive an efficient scoring center to replace Hartenstein off the bench, although they will continue to hope that Robinson stays healthy.
| Included Players’ Career Stats | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player | GP | PPG | RPG | APG | FG% | 3PT% | SPG | BPG |
| Miles McBride | 172 | 5.1 | 1.1 | 1.3 | 40.4% | 35.5% | 0.6 | 0.1 |
| Cam Reddish | 221 | 9.3 | 2.8 | 1.2 | 39.8% | 32.4% | 1.0 | 0.4 |
| Jaxson Hayes | 311 | 6.8 | 3.8 | 0.6 | 63.6% | 26.8% | 0.4 | 0.6 |
The Lakers take a gamble on Koloko, who could be a solid pick-and-roll force in their second unit, and will certainly bring down plenty of rebounds for the Lakers. However, with Hayes gone, their only players who could play down low for long stretches are Davis, Koloko, Christian Wood, and Jarred Vanderbilt, all of whom have struggled with injuries throughout their careers.
The Knicks and Lakers have both gone all-in to win a title, and playing it safe doesn’t improve their odds. Swapping role players to address areas of need will help get both teams over the hump.
