The Los Angeles Lakers continue to keep busy, and their latest deal will send off guard Patrick Beverley in exchange for big man Mo Bamba.
The move definitely makes sense, as the Lakers added two key players to their backcourt rotation in D’Angelo Russell and Malik Beasley on Wednesday and lost a key frontcourt piece in Thomas Bryant on Thursday after he requested a trade and was moved to the Denver Nuggets.
Sources said the Lakers are sending second-round draft compensation with Patrick Beverley to Orlando for Mo Bamba — a major get for a reworked frontline around Anthony Davis and LeBron James. https://t.co/ZEqa6M4b4R
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) February 9, 2023
The Lakers still have some valuable draft capital if they want to try to make another move in the final minutes before the trade deadline, but this trade for Bamba could certainly prove to be the final one for the Lakers in the 2022-23 campaign.
At 24 years old, Bamba is still a very young big man and will serve valuably in a rotational role for the Lakers.
In 40 games this season, he’s putting up 7.3 points and 4.6 rebounds per game. He’s also shot the ball really well, hitting 49.5 percent of his field goals and 39.8 percent of his shots from deep.
He’s taken on more of a reserve role this season, starting in just six of his 40 appearances and getting just 17.0 minutes per game.
Last season, he was a consistent starter for the Orlando Magic and put in the best season of his career. He averaged 10.6 points, 8.1 boards and 1.7 blocks per game.
As for Beverley, he was acquired by the Lakers in the 2022 offseason and leaves the franchise after appearing in 45 games.
With three trades already in the books for the Lakers in the last 24 hours, the rotation is going to look incredibly different by the time the Lakers take the floor on Thursday night.
It will be interesting to see what the rotation even consists of on Thursday, as it is not a sure thing that all of the recently added players will even be able to suit up just yet.
What’s most important for the Lakers now is whether or not the moves they’ve made will be able to change the team’s fortunes going forward. The team is five games under .500 right now, but just a couple of games back from a play-in tournament spot and just a few more games out of a playoff spot.
All of the Lakers’ goals are still ahead of them in the 2022-23 season, and it will be interesting to see whether or not any of them are accomplished by season’s end.
