The Los Angeles Lakers selected Jaden McDaniels out of the University of Washington with the 28th pick in the 2020 NBA Draft, but he was soon traded to Oklahoma City and shortly after ended up in Minnesota.
Jaden McDaniels: Ever-Changing Trade
Along with veteran guard Danny Green, McDaniels was traded to the Thunder in exchange for point guard Dennis Schroder. The Lakers and Thunder agreed to the deal in principle last Sunday, but it was not able to be made official until after the Draft.
That was due to the Lakers previously trading their 2019 first-round selection to the New Orleans Pelicans. Teams cannot legally trade first-round draft picks in consecutive years.
McDaniels and Green were sent to join the Thunder, but neither pick remained a completed transaction. The Thunder agreed to trade Green, along with Terrance Ferguson to the Philadelphia 76ers for Al Horford, the rights to Vasilije Micic and multiple draft picks.
Oklahoma City is also trading Ricky Rubio, Emmanuel Quickley (25th pick) and McDaniels to the Minnesota Timberwolves for Aleksej Pokusevski (selected 17th overall). Minnesota then is sending Quickley and a second-round pick to the New York Knicks for Leandro Bolmaro (No. 23 pick).
Jaden McDaniels Stats
McDaniels is now a power forward for the Timberwolves, and his 2021-2022 stats per game are as follows:
- PTS: 8.1
- REB: 4.5
- AST: 1.0
- PER: 8.68
The Green Deal
Green was the Lakers’ major free agent signing last offseason after Kawhi Leonard spurned them in favor of the L.A. Clippers. While Green was exactly what the team wanted and needed during the regular season, he struggled mightily in the bubble, seeing a 7% decrease in field goal percentage.
The Lakers reportedly shopped around the package of Green, the 28th pick, and Kyle Kuzma in some form, but were unable to get any star players such as Jrue Holiday or Chris Paul. Kuzma, who continues to pop up in trade rumors, may remain on the roster for the beginning of the 2020-21 season.
As for Schroder, he perfectly fits the Lakers’ need for a backup point guard and a player capable of getting his own shot, as he averaged 18.9 points on 46.9% shooting off the bench for the Thunder in 2019-20.
Kuzma trade talks ‘gauging the market’
Nothing has materialized yet, but the Lakers have certainly been looking around to get a sense of Kuzma’s trade value. He was reportedly included in a trade offer to the New Orleans Pelicans for Holiday, who has since been traded to the Milwaukee Bucks for a massive haul.
Kuzma is in the final year of his rookie contract and is looking for a sizable extension. The deadline to sign such a deal is December 21.
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