Los Angeles Lakers
Why It Makes Sense for the Portland Trail Blazers
The Portland Trail Blazers struggled all season on the defensive end, especially on the perimeter. They lack little in terms of perimeter shooting but have a slim selection of players who would be considered even good perimeter defenders.
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope is a player who can come in and help on the defensive end without sacrificing too much in terms of perimeter shooting capabilities. While not the best defender on the planet, KCP always brings hustle and has been solidly above average on that end of the court for most of his career.
Caldwell-Pope’s shooting is serviceable, albeit very streaky. He can knock down five threes one game and then have a zero for seven nights the next. But his long-range shot is decent enough to help space the floor as an off-ball shooter.
Bringing in Talen Horton-Tucker is an added bonus. Although he’s had limited NBA experience on the stacked Lakers roster, he proved himself as a defensive force in college during his one season at Iowa State. He adds even more depth to a young Portland Trail Blazers bench unit that’s oozing with potential.
Why It Makes Sense for the Los Angeles Lakers
The Lakers Achilles heel so far this season has been their three-point shooting. On their worst shooting nights, they can play themselves out of games. Look no further than Game 1 versus the Portland Trail Blazers where they shot a woeful 5 for 32 from downtown.
What better way to help alleviate this problem than to bring in a player who shot 49 percent from deep last season. Rodney Hood was playing the best basketball of his life before his unfortunate ACL injury but if he can return from it with his shooting stroke intact, he can be a key piece for the Lakers. His defense is worse than KCP’s but is still decent and can be hidden by the elite defenders surrounding him.
Another pick doesn’t hurt in this year’s draft for a team that’s struggling with the cap. And speaking of the cap, this trade saves the Lakers $4 million which is incredibly valuable when trying to work around two huge contracts in LeBron James and Anthony Davis.