NBA Trade Grades: Lakers, Jazz, Timberwolves complete 3-team swap
A day before the Feb. 9 trade deadline, the Los Angeles Lakers, Utah Jazz and Minnesota Timberwolves finalized a three-team trade that will send D’Angelo Russell, Jarred Vanderbilt and Malik Beasley to the Lakers, Russell Westbrook and a 2027 first-round pick to Utah and Mike Conley plus multiple second-round picks heading to the Wolves. Both Charania and Wojnarowski were first with the deal.
Now let’s put on the professor cap and dive into everything each team received!
Lakers receive: D’Angelo Russell, Jarred Vanderbilt and Malik Beasley
In my view, the Lakers walked away as the clear winners of this three-team blockbuster.
First off, they swap Westbrook and his $47 million expiring deal in the offseason with another expiring in D’Angelo Russell at $31.4 million (Spotrac). In the end, neither offer current long-term flexibility, but Russell’s skillset benefits the Lakers than Westbrook does.
Sure, Russell isn’t a perfect basketball player — he has flaws as a scorer, creator and defender in his own right. But he’s a more capable floor-spacer and pure shot-maker — having knocked down 39.1 percent of his seven 3-point attempts per game — affecting the spacing (positively) around LeBron James and Co. While both are chaotic and suboptimal passers, Russell’s a better connective passer and will likely generate a better flow within the Lakers (halfcourt) offense than his counterpart.
That said, arguably the two most important players of the trade aren’t Conley, Westbrook or Russell — it’s Vanderbilt and Beasley.
Beasley, one of the best movement shooters in the NBA, adds a dimension to the Lakers’ offense that’s been absentminded for the better part of James’ tenure in purple and gold. On possessions where he’s coming off screens, Beasley’s logged 1.1 point per possession, which ranks in the 80th percentile, per Synergy. He’s shooting 35.9 percent (8.6 3PA) from distance this season and sported a 38.9 3-point percentage (6.5 attempts) in the four seasons prior. He can spray the rock, which is something James has always thrived with.
Vanderbilt is a hyperactive multi-positional forward who could fill a number of needs: Size, rebounding, screening, connective passing and, perhaps most crucially, multi-positional defending. Vanderbilt possesses the footspeed to keep up with bigger guards while having enough upper-body strength and physical traits to hold up against bigger 4s/smaller 5s. He’s not a natural floor-spacer but has begun shooting the corner 3-pointer with more volume this season and adds lineup flexibility in minutes without Anthony Davis or Thomas Bryant.
Beasley has one more year beyond 2022-23 left on his deal: A $16.5 million team-option. The Lakers could decline that it, thus making him an unrestricted free-agent, or exercise as a potentially salary filler for a trade either in the offseason or the following deadline — assuming an opportunity to land a bigger contract opens up. Vanderbilt, also a free agent at the end of 2023-24, is expected to carry a cap-hit for $4.4 million this year and $4.7 million the next.
In essence, the Lakers moved off a player who was deemed near untradeable in the summer and only one of its two tradeable picks (with protections, somehow!) for three of the best players in the deal. That’s a win-win any way you slice the pie.
Grade: A–
Jazz receive: Russell Westbrook, Juan Toscano-Anderson, Damian Jones and a 2027 first-round pick (via Lakers; top-4 protected)
Westbrook, who I previously mentioned is on an expiring, is expected to be bought out by the Jazz with reported interest from the Los Angeles Clippers and the Chicago Bulls — per Bleacher Report’s Chris Haynes. Toscano-Anderson will be an unrestricted free agent after this season with Damian Jones possessing a $2.5 million player option, per Spotrac.
Toscano-Anderson sporadically played for L.A. this season, averaging just 2.7 points and 2.0 rebounds in 12.2 minutes across 30 games. He’ll add rebounding juice with defensive chops to an otherwise porous Jazz defense. Similarly, Jones was hardly featured in the Lakers rotation, posting 2.5 points and 2.5 rebounds in 22 games.
The most important part of this deal is the pick compensation, though I think it was underwhelming the Jazz were able to extract only one (protected?) first-round pick for 1.) Taking on Westbrook’s $47 million and 2.) Dealing Beasley, Conley and Vanderbilt.
The Wolves couldn’t trade any of their picks because, well, the Jazz already have them all (’23, ’25, ’27 & ’29) in lieu of the Rudy Gobert-trade, so I guess Ainge might not have been as motivated to snatch another pick. But L.A. also possessed a 2029 first-rounder it could’ve dealt, but shockingly was able to hold onto it for at least another day.
Grade: C
Wolves receive: Mike Conley, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, 2024 second-round pick, 2025 second-round pick, 2026 second-round pick
Russell and Gobert worked well together. But do you also know who did, too? Former Jazz runningmates Conley and Gobert!
Russell is the only player the Wolves gave up; he was playing like one of the best lead-guards in the NBA over the last month. And Conley is admittedly past his prime, but will better stabilize a 20th-ranked Wolves offense that’s been tremendously underwhelming as a whole this season. Conley is a better fit next to Anthony Edwards, Karl-Anthony Towns and Gobert to initiate offense, especially out of the pick-and-roll.
Plus, Alexander-Walker, 24, is nothing more than a flyer who’s on the last year of his rookie contract. The former No. 17 overall pick’s shot the ball — especially from distance — in addition to showing flashes defensively and as a playmaker. And at least Tim Connelly got some draft capital in return?
Grade: B-
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