Taj Gibson is in disbelief that he's leaving the Chicago Bulls
After initially appearing to plan to keep Amir Johnson to start the season, the Lakers made a stunning announcement today. Johnson and front office favorite point guard Jordan Farmar have been moved to the Chicago Bulls for Taj Gibson's expiring contract and the Detroit Pistons 2019 1st, a guaranteed late selection by all accounts. The move presumably strikes a blow to the Lakers' playoff hopes, given the downgrade from Johnson to Gibson, but will clinch the Purple and Gold as guaranteed UFA offers next summer, rather than be limited to the RFA max, as they would be following the re-signing of DeMar DeRozan.
Gibson, 31, has developed a reputation as a reasonably solid scorer, shooter, and defender, and offers better discipline and basketball intelligence than Johnson, though both players' production throughout their CSL career has been better than what scouts rate them. He steps in as the new starting power forward, as he's a better drive stopper, more ball secure, and a higher quality turnover producer than Robin Lopez, who will back up Walter Tavares at the center slot.
George Hill high-fives the opportunity of guaranteed playing time
The move also signals that George Hill is locked in as the backup point guard, if not the outright starter, and the growing consensus from the Staples Center is that he'll be at the very least the Lakers' 6th man, occupying a combo guard role off the bench in order to maximize his production heading into his contract year. Better suited to run the dribble-drive offense the Purple and Gold used last offseason, he, along with T.J. McConnell will provide major perimeter defense upgrades over Farmar. Sources say it also becomes a certainty that Hill stays with the team the entire season, as his expiring is now necessary to attain UFA status.
"We didn't really want to make this trade initially," GM Jestor said. "We were excited to see what Amir could do, and of course, we love Jordan. But the more we looked at it, the more the move simply made sense. We didn't see any of the other offers out there giving us the financial value that this deal did, even those that were offering a better first. And after the Boston Celtics pulled their offer of the Nuggets 2018 1st, and the Raptors only offering a late first... well... we decided to go ahead and make this trade.
The timing is important here, too. Walter Tavares becomes an RFA the offseason after next, and with his playing skills and reputation around the league, he's going to get a max offer from someone - thus negating our financial flexibility. So we need to strike next summer, with what looks to be a strong UFA crop, and the potential for us to find a #1 scoring option he can take the reins of this team and elevate us to that next level. This move allows us to be one of those teams in play. As to if it weakens our current on-court product - if it does, it does so only very slightly. We're still anticipating we're likely to be in that 30-35 win category, with or without Amir. It's just that this trade gives us a shot at a better long-range future, and the capability of going after some of the CSL's top echelon talent. Unlike some of the mother teams, who are treading water or trending down, we're trending upwards, and also now have the freedom to aggressively pursue sign and trades for the right player."
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2028
