The Los Angeles Lakers are showing signs that they can contend for a championship this season, but a recent mock trade perfectly addresses a need they have in their second unit.
Lakers move a pair of reserve bigs for Pacers’ Bennedict Mathurin in mock trade
Colin Keane of The Sporting News proposed a mock trade that would gift the Lakers with talented Indiana Pacers shooting guard Bennedict Mathurin in exchange for a package of players in Los Angeles’s frontcourt ranks, saying this in part (h/t Heavy Sports’ Jon Conahan):
“The Los Angeles Lakers would certainly be interested in Mathurin given their desire to add another guard or wing scorer,” Keane wrote.
Indiana might be interested in a package from the Lakers that provides them with some much-needed frontline depth (some combination of Jaxson Hayes, Christian Wood, and Jarred Vanderbilt would suffice), and if Los Angeles was willing to sweeten the deal with draft capital, the Pacers would definitely consider.”
The Lakers could revitalize their offense by trading for Mathurin
Mathurin is a natural scorer who is comfortable getting to his spots akin to Golden State Warriors star Buddy Hield, and can also turn into a walking microwave when hot similar to Sacramento Kings star Malik Monk. He is back to business in 2024-25, averaging a strong 15.8 points and 4.6 rebounds per game on a show-worthy 55.6 percent shooting from the field and 38.9 percent shooting from three-point range.
The Canadian talent has scored 20 or more points in 41 games throughout his three-year career, and seven of those have been 30-point outings. Thus, he could step onto the floor and give the L.A. reliable scoring, as a capable shooter and shot creator off the bounce, from both beyond the arc and in the interior.
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The Lakers have room to give up frontcourt depth to the Pacers for Mathurin
Hayes has been effective for the Lakers through the early portion of the year. Wood has the scoring and rebounding chops to run away with Sixth Man of the Year honors once he returns from injury, and Vanderbilt is the Lakers’ best perimeter defender and a great offensive rebounder.
Nevertheless, giving up two of them for Mathurin could be beneficial for times when Lakers star point guard D’Angelo Russell battles cold spells or for when Los Angeles needs a spark. The Pacers may be inclined to a deal of such magnitude to help their own frontcourt depth chart, so if Mathurin’s name surfaces on the trade block this season, he’d be a great player to pursue.
