FanPost

Grading the Lakers offseason moves

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Drafting Brandon Ingram

*With the second pick of the 2016 NBA Draft, the Lakers picked 6'9 forward from Duke University Brandon Ingram. Ingram averaged 17.3 points and 7.3 rebounds in his lone season at Duke. He fills in a need the Lakers desperately needed at small forward with his interior defense and excellent shooting range. With his intense arm length, Ingram is able to play multiple positions like small forward, power forward, and even center in small ball situations, he can also play a little shooting guard. However, with his long stature, Ingram is also incredibly skinny which makes some believe he is too weak and should put on pounds. It's no secret Ingram definitely needs to put on some weight but he should take it slow instead of trying to do it all in one offseason. Now the Lakers currently do not have Ingram signed to his rookie contract but any time soon we should be seeing his deal.

Grade: A+

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Drafting Ivica Zubac

*The Lakers selected 19 year old Croatian center Ivica Zubac with the 32nd pick in the 2016 NBA Draft. If you don't know much of Zubac, he was projected to be the 16th pick in this year's draft despite this being a fairly weak draft. It is safe to say if you were to redo this draft, Zubac would easily go in the top 15. Zubac averaged 9.0 points and 5.3 rebounds as a member of the Mega Leks of Serbia where he also battled and dominated against some of the top 5 picks for next year's draft. Zubac definitely fills in the back up center spot but being another key member of the young core, it is likely we will soon see Zublocka start at some time in his career.

Grade: A

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Signing Timofey Mosgov to a 4-year $64 million deal

*At age 30 now, Timofey Mosgov remains a somewhat an underrated center in this league. Most people tend to forget how good Mosgov was in the 2015 NBA Finals but due to an serious injury (and a trade for Channing Frye) Mosgov lost his rotation minutes with the Cleveland Cavaliers. Being a Russian center, Mosgov is one of the toughest big men in this league and is a good rim protector. Last season, Mosgov still averaged 6.4 points, 4.4 rebounds and 1 block per game all in limited minutes. Per 36 minutes, Mosgov averages 15.2 points, 10.0 rebounds, and 1.8 blocks, therefore making him a reliable option for our starting center spot. He is 7'1 but people like to compare him to another Roy Hibbert, however Mosgov is definitely more agile and mobile than Hibbert. The only thing that will bring Mosgov's grade down is his massive contract. As said before, he was a good pickup but just with a bad contract.

Grade: C

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Re-signing Jordan Clarkson to a 4-year $50 million deal

*To be expected, the Lakers retained their shooting guard of the future in Jordan Clarkson. This is an excellent deal for Clarkson going forward with the right amount of money. With him working on more aspects of his game in order to play under Luke Walton, Clarkson definitely is the best option for a partner in crime with D'Angelo Russell. No, Clarkson will not be the leader of the team, that is usually the point guard or the toughest player of the team's job (Russell and Randle), but he will be a key member to what the Lakers plan to do going forward.

Grade: A

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Signing Luol Deng to a 4-year $72 million deal

*Probably in what will be his final large contract of his career, the Lakers signed former 2 time All-Star Luol Deng. No question this helps in so many ways: Having a small forward mentor to Brandon Ingram, having a veteran player who can either start or come off the bench (he doesn't really care), and having one of the most respected players in this league. This may not be the superstar the Lakers wanted but (technically) this is still a star to grab. Deng last season with the Heat averaged 12.4 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 2.0 assist. He was perfect in small ball situations with the Heat and shot 34% from 3, something Luke Walton will definitely love out of him whether he starts or not. Currently Deng is 31 years old.

Grade: B+

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Trade the draft rights to Ater Majok to Chicago for Jose Calderon

*In an attempt to find a point guard to play behind D'Angelo Russell (and play alongside Lou Williams and Luol Deng), the Lakers traded the draft rights to Ater Majok to the Bulls for Jose Calderon. This is not a bad trade because despite his desecrating career, Calderon makes a nice option off the bench for a team that needs a smart point guard. Calderon averaged 7.2 points and 4.6 assist with the Knicks last season but crazy enough he shot the ball extremely well. Calderon shot 47% from the field and 41% from 3. He at one point of his career was apart of the 50-40-90 club like Steve Nash.

Grade: B-