If the Los Angeles Lakers are going to make the jump from a playoff team to a championship-caliber team, one thing they may have to do is obtain a better backup center. But an even bigger need for them is at least one 3-and-D player.
Jake LaRavia, a sharpshooting 23-year-old forward they signed as a free agent this summer, could become at least somewhat of a 3-and-D player, depending on how much he improves as a one-on-one defender. But other than that, the Lakers have a number of one-way players.
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This past Friday, the Miami Heat sent forward Haywood Highsmith to the Brooklyn Nets in a salary-dumping move. With the Nets going nowhere fast, Jack Simone of Lake Show Life urged the Lakers to make a move for Highsmith in order to obtain one of those needed 3-and-D contributors.
“Adding his three-point shooting and defensive pressure would be absolutely perfect, giving JJ Redick an ideal rotation piece to surround Doncic with as much help as possible,” Simone wrote.
“Having that type of guy in the lineup would be ideal, and considering the price likely won’t be too expensive, the Lakers should absolutely be keeping a close eye on Highsmith in the trade market.”
Highsmith is listed at 6-foot-5 and 220 pounds, but he can play both the 3 and 4 spots. He isn’t a scoring threat, but he made 38.2% of his 3.1 3-point attempts in 24.6 minutes a game last season.
He reportedly has a wingspan of seven feet, which gives him the ability to play defense at a relatively high level. He was a contributor off the bench, albeit in somewhat limited playing time, when the Miami Heat reached the NBA Finals in 2023.
The 28-year-old will make $5.6 million this season and will be a free agent next summer, which means that he may not only be relatively inexpensive, but he also wouldn’t interfere with L.A.’s apparent goal to have maximum salary cap space available during the next two offseasons.
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This article originally appeared on LeBron Wire: Writer urges Lakers to go after recently traded 3-and-D forward