The Lakers hope Chandler Parsons will bear down on opponents
For months, trade speculation has surrounded the Lakers' T.J. McConnell. Well publicized rejections of straight up swaps for Mike Conley Jr. and Damian Lillard seemed to set the bar so high, it looked a virtual certainty that the Arizona alumnus would stay in purple and gold for his foreseeable career. And yet, interior discussions at the Staples Center suggested that they needed to make a move soon. Already the value from that high point was falling off, and though teams were continuing to express interest, the general tone was one of far less investment. So the choice was clear: pull the trigger on a trade now, or commit long-term to a point guard rotation of McConnell and Shabazz Napier - the latter of whom gained numerous fans with his heady passing, in spite of his poor shooting.
And so when Sacramento called a second time to ask about McConnell, the Lakers were far more receptive. As the Purple and Gold were seeking a talent upgrade, they quickly honed in on Chandler Parsons. The negotiations were swift, with the Kings asking for Rudy Gobert and as far in the future first as possible. This suited both teams - Gobert was too long term a project for the Lakers, who didn't see the Frenchman as a worthy heir to Omer Asik, and a distant first provided more opportunity to become a legitimate playoff team. And so the deal was struck - McConnell, Gobert, and the Lakers 2020 1st (Top 29 protected) to Sacramento; Parsons to Los Angeles.
McConnell, 23, was highly valued by the front office after being selected 5th overall, bringing a promising blend of floor generalship, shooting when inclined, and hard-nosed defense. But his sophomore season failed to show significant strides in the first category, posting an acceptable but not brilliant 2.3 A/TO ratio at the time of the trade. 0.95 PA/SF, 84.6% drive stop rate, and 1.8 TOFC told the tale of a young kid who was a good fifth starter, but by no means elite in any category. Especially not with Napier (2.1 A/TO ratio, 81.4% DSR, 0.84 PA/SF, 2.5 TOFC) waiting in the wings and ready to be given full-time run at the 1.
The Lakers' willingness to trade McConnell was as much about Shabazz Napier as anything else
And yet, Napier is a curious love-fest for the Lakers. For all his pyrotechnics in passing and defense, and despite work on his form, his shooting has actually gone down since coming to LA. There's also the looming issue of his RFA status. Then again, with the Parsons pickup, there was never going to be any major free agency moves made by the Purple and Gold this summer. And indeed, free agency has never been a path to success for a Jestor-run team. Consider Gobert, who never got the attention he needed to correct his own shooting, and who increasingly frustrated the coaching staff with his inability to impact games the way they expected.
As for Parsons himself, at 28, he's in the first year of his prime. The Kings' leading scorer (though that isn't saying much, given the balanced system Sactown runs), he brings disruptive defense in his own right (96.4% DSR, 2.4 TOFC, 0.99 PA/SF) and almost 16 points, 4 assists, 4 rebounds, and 1.5 steals on 44.9% shooting/39% from 3 point range. He's a legitimate two-way threat capable of playing 1-4, though will most likely suit up at the SG spot next to Napier. Opinions in the fanbase are split between those who think Parsons will be another prettyboi model who can't play like Danilo "The Rooster" Gallinari and those who see potential shades of a lesser Mateen Yeaton. Either way, it's not a major investment financially, unlike Conley and Lillard would have been. Rather than their multi-year contracts, Parsons is an expiring next season. Should he fail to work out, his $13.3 million lines up with Jimmer Fredette's $3.5 million and Omer Asik's presumed $7 million to give the Lakers money to play with in advance of Nik Stasukas' RFA contract matching.
Projected Lineup
PG Shabazz Napier (25)
SG Chandler Parsons (28)
SF Nik Stauskas (23)
PF Giannis Antetokounmpo (23)
CE Omer Asik (31)
The Lakers are presently 4.5 games back of Golden State for the 8 seed. Will the addition of Parsons to the lineup make them a playoff squad? Most likely no - Napier will shoot them out of games until his deficiencies are corrected, and it's too much ground to try and make up. On the other hand, in terms of pure talent, Parsons does make the Lakers a stronger squad. They also have their first round pick this year, and so a trip to the lottery yet again will not be a bad thing. Particularly since, unlike last season, the team is playing close attention to scouting.
2020, 2023, 2027, 2035
