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Mock trade gives Lakers intriguing power forward from Knicks
Mock trade gives Lakers intriguing power forward from Knicks
The Los Angeles Lakers continue to have a big gap in terms of a starting two-way forward. In addition to that, they lack overall depth at the power forward position, since Sandro Mamukelashvili will play some minutes at the 4 and Jake LaRavia and Jarred Vanderbilt aren't offensive threats.
They lack tradable assets, but they do have a few contracts and three second-round draft picks to work with. Perhaps in the meantime, it would be a good idea for them to add a bit of depth at the 4 position.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementSai Mohan of Heavy Sports proposed an interesting trade that may not move the needle much but could be an incremental move for the time being. He proposed that Los Angeles send guard Jaden Hardy to the NBA champion New York Knicks for Jeremy Sochan, an energetic power forward, in a sign-and-trade deal.
"Sochan played limited minutes for the New York Knicks during their NBA championship run, with veteran bigs Karl-Anthony Towns and Mitchell Robinson sharing all the workload at the five spot," Mohan wrote. "However, there’s no doubt Sochan, a former top-10 pick, still has a lot to offer a team with his defensive versatility and high motor. On the Lakers, he could be the perfect third or even second-string big man, sharing minutes with [Walker] Kessler and [Kevon] Looney, the latter of whom is a similar energy guy as well."
Hardy was acquired earlier this month when Los Angeles traded center Deandre Ayton to the Washington Wizards following its acquisition of Kessler. Given the team's guard depth, it is hard to imagine Hardy getting any meaningful playing time, which could make him expendable.
Sochan is 6-foot-8 and 230 pounds, and while he isn't a real offensive threat, he does have a career average of 9.9 points on 47% shooting in 24.1 minutes a game over his four NBA seasons. His big strength is his rebounding -- he has averaged 5.4 rebounds a game for his career, and he's also considered an excellent defender.
His seven-foot wingspan allows him to contain major offensive threats on the opposing team. The No. 9 pick in the 2022 draft, Sochan quickly broke into the San Antonio Spurs' rotation, but his playing time took a nosedive last season, and the Spurs waived him in February, allowing him to head to New York.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementThe Lakers have decided to take a flyer this offseason on young players such as Ziaire Williams who fit a certain archetype. Perhaps they could attempt a mini reclamation project on Sochan if they would actually be interested in him and find playing time for him.
They currently have 16 players, so they would need to get rid of one player before the start of the season, preferably through a trade, whether they make this proposed deal for Sochan or not.
This article originally appeared on LeBron Wire: Mock trade gives Lakers intriguing power forward from Knicks