Lakers Trade Pitch Lands Malcolm Brodgon for $70.8 million
The Los Angeles Lakers vice president of basketball operations Rob Pelinka said during Bronny James and Dalton Knecht’s introductory press conference in July that they are “going to always be aggressive to trying to make roster upgrades.”
One of their potential trade options, according to Bleacher Report’s salary cap expert Eric Pincus could be the pair of Washington Wizards veterans Malcolm Brogdon and Jonas Valančiūnas.
“Both fill positions of need for the Lakers at center and point guard. Valančiūnas is on a workable contract for L.A. Brogdon’s contract is short, and he’s less likely to earn nearly as much in his next deal,” Pincus wrote on September 10.
Pincus suggested a trade framework for the Lakers that could entice the Wizards to re-route the veteran duo to Los Angeles.
Lakers receive: Malcolm Brogdon, Jonas Valančiūnas.
Wizards receive: D’Angelo Russell, Jalen Hood-Schifino, Gabe Vincent (or Jarred Vanderbilt), 2029 or 2031 first-round pick
“Would the Lakers give up a first for the pair, perhaps with Russell, Hood-Schifino and Vincent (or Vanderbilt) out? L.A. might need to add a backup ball-handling guard, but it’s an arguable path forward,” Pincus wrote.
But this proposed trade could only go down in-season near the February trade deadline since both Brogdon and Valančiūnas cannot be traded until after December 15.