The LA Lakers have been involved in trade and free agency rumors from all angles and it may be time to weed out the improbable.
In a Bleacher Report feature by Dan Favale, one of the possible trades that he explored was sending D'Angelo Russell and the no.2 overall pick in the 2016 NBA Draft to the Utah Jazz in exchange for Gordon Hayward and Derrick Favors.
The main rationale for this trade: "Favors can jump center next to Julius Randle, Hayward is one of the league's most polished point forwards, and they both boost Los Angeles' shoddy defense," stated Favale.
Favale was clear that this trade was hypothetical and he asked readers to "grab their imagination hats" but the rumor still made the rounds of the internet.
Will the Lakers do it?
On the assumption that the Philadelphia 76ers are taking Ben Simmons, the Lakers will most likely pick Brandon Ingram. Thus, they are virtually trading Ingram and Russell for the two Jazz stalwarts.
Gordon Hayward and Derrick Favors are already considered veterans and they have been given ample time to shine with the Utah Jazz. Favors played behind Enes Kanter and Paul Millsap in a logjam but both players are gone. Now, he shares the slot duties with young French phenom Rudy Gobert.
Hayward is a capable point forward who can score and facilitate the offense. But the point is, Hayward and Favors are probably just what they are-reliable starters but not really All-Star players.
In contrast, both D'Angelo Russell and Brandon Ingram have loads of potential. If Ingram does land with LA, they are both no.2 overall picks chosen because they can become future All-Stars. Let's focus more on what the Lakers already have (and are asked to give up).
The jury has been harsh with Russell with issues about maturity and his publicized struggle with former Lakers head coach Byron Scott. He failed to make the All-Rookie first team although there was only one guard in there (Devin Booker) which led to criticism since he was picked early.
However, Basketball Insiders Jabari Davis believes that we have not seen much of D'Angelo's potential. In his chat, he was asked to rank who has the most potential: Russell, Ingram, 2014 2nd overall pick Jabari Parker and 2015 3rd overall pick Jahlil Okafor.
Davis' response: "I'd probably go Russell, Ingram, Parker, Okafor. "I definitely agree that D'Angelo can still be a special player."
Parker and Okafor are two players who have been linked to Russell in trade rumors. As Russell was perceived to be underachieving and had offcourt issues including his video of Nick Young that blew up all over the internet, these rumors surfaced.
While it is not verified whether these players were actually offered, the idea that the Lakers could have replaced Russell with those names is intriguing, yet the Lakers held on. The common sentiment is that Russell is untradeable unless the team gets a superstar in return.
Hayward and Favors are not superstars and probably won't be. There are many who believe Russell has the tools to be one, and even more would hedge their bets on Ingram (or Simmons if it turned out that way). This trade is shortsighted and the rationale that "he(Ingram)won't appeal to free agents as much as Hayward (or Favors)" as Favale is hard to prove.
If Hayward and Favors can draw free agents, the Jazz would not move them as they need all the help they can get. With numerous teams having cap space, those two players won't turn the needle any more than two second overall picks.
Based on the information available and the Lakers' previous statements on the players and picks involved, this trade is unlikely to happen.