Louis Williams, Guard, 76ers
How he could help the Lakers: A streaky but explosive scoring guard in a point guard’s body is currently backing up Jrue Holiday for the 76ers. As a starter you would ideally want someone more reliable and consistent; however, as a guy coming off the bench you can live with the roller coaster ride that Louis brings on a game to game basis when the highs are as prolific as his. His volatile nature was on display in early January when he shot a horrid 1 for 11 in a loss against the Hornets, only to come back two days later and play an almost flawless game in a win against the Wizards, shooting 7 for 10 from the field and scoring 26 points. He can provide the Lakers that injection of youth and energy that the second unit has been sorely missing since the early part of the season when they were meshing so well. Louis can also get up and throw down pretty hard on opponents, which would make him a pretty nice one, two show with the Lakers’ resident dunker, Shannon Brown.
Why the 76ers would trade him for nothing? This is probably the least likely of players that would be given up without getting some value in return. The 76ers are fully entrenched in the East playoff race and are trending upward. They are currently in the 7th spot and only 3 losses back from catching New York for the 6th. It wouldn’t seem that the 76ers would want to rock the boat at this point. However, Louis is owed more than 12 million for another two years and that can be a little pricey for someone playing behind lottery pick Jrue Holiday, who the 76ers drafted when already having Louis Williams on their roster. The 76ers management obviously didn’t feel that Louis Williams was the long-term answer if they felt the need to take another point guard in the draft.
