Podcast: Should the Lakers trade for Jimmy Butler at or before the deadline?

As with every other Monday, today’s episode of Locked on Lakers is driven by your questions. We’ve reached the time of year where the questions can go a few different directions given how little actual news we have, and you all have been coming through with flying colors. To start the show, I answer a question about a trade target we haven’t really hard that much about, relatively speaking: Jimmy Butler.

A few things do need to be pointed out, though, to offer as much context as possible. For starters, Butler has not once demanded a trade or made it known that he’s interested solely in one day becoming a Laker. Sure, some rumors have surfaced about tensions in the Minnesota Timberwolves locker room, but you’re going to need something more concrete to actually see him made available.

Secondly, you also kind of have to wonder how Butler is going to age given the mileage and way he’s played his whole career. Tom Thibodeau’s track record of overusing has already bitten the Lakers once as we’ve seen how Luol Deng aged. Is it worth giving up assets to potentially get hit by the same bug? Who’s to say, really.

The second segment is more of a lightning round in which I answer questions about Ivica Zubac and whether he’ll be on the team much longer beyond this trade deadline or past this season, Moe Wagner’s opportunities and a free agency option that almost no one is talking about.

One review was regarding a recent guest on the show and that allowed me to talk about what goes into the guests that come on the show or come back despite maybe not being the most popular among the listeners. In this case, the issue was taken with Matt Moore, who Lakers fans seem to hold in special regard in terms of disdain of content. I get into some observations that extend beyond sports on this.

In the last segment of the show, I offer up some Marvel/NBA comparisons as an introduction for (hopefully) a future show. Oh, August.

As always, this is just a tidbit of the full context given in the show. Listen to the full discussion below and please check out old episodes or guarantee you won’t miss any ever again by subscribing on iTunes.