Grade the Trade: Raptors get former All-Star from Lakers in bold 3-team proposal

Laying out the 3-team Lakers trade

The Los Angeles Lakers have a roster that is proven to be incapable of competing at the highest levels, and they have to decide whether to push all of their chips in to chase a star-level player, or whether to take a more measured step to add two-way players around LeBron James and Anthony Davis and lean on their two stars to carry the team.

It's the second path that the Lakers take in a recent trade proposal by the popular trade site Fanspo, going after a pair of non All-Stars who would bring high-end defense and offensive support to the team.

Here is what the deal would look like:

The Portland Trail Blazers have put on Cooper Flagg-colored glasses and are focused on securing a top draft pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, so moving off of a player like Jerami Grant who will help them win basketball games makes a lot of sense for their timeline. He is also on an expensive long-term contract, so moving that money to open up salary flexibility makes a lot of sense.

Is the return from the Lakers enough? Having to take on not one but two years of salary for Rui Hachimura and Gabe Vincent is less than ideal, but that 2029 first-round pick is an enticing one with a lot of upside. It's not unreasonable for them to pull the trigger on this deal.

For the Lakers, they move off of the money for Hachimura and Vincent themselves, and add two starters for only one of their two first-round picks available to trade. That keeps one premium asset in the chamber for another move down the road.

The Lakers would likely start LeBron James at point guard, with Austin Reaves and Bruce Brown on the wing and Jerami Grant beside Anthony Davis in the frontcourt. Is that team capable of contending in the West? Probably not, but it's enough to make a real run and if the shots fall in the postseason to push back into the Western Conference Finals.

What about the Raptors - should they make this trade?