It took new Los Angeles Lakers President of Basketball Operations Magic Johnson just a few hours before pulling the trigger on a major trade.
It was reported Tuesday evening (by Woj, of course) that the Lakers are sending Lou Williams to the Houston Rockets for a first-round pick and Corey Brewer. This move appears to be an attempt by the Rockets to add another scorer to the bench to compete in the loaded top echelon of the Western Conference.
If you’ve watched Houston at all under Mike D’Antoni, you know this team likes putting the ball in the basket. The Rockets average more than 114 points per game, which is second-best in the NBA. It appears Williams will be able to add to this high-scoring total. He’s averaged 18.6 points per game this season and was already in contention for the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year Award.
Heading into the trade deadline, Williams was expected to be an asset the Lakers could get something back for. This appears to be proven correct with this trade. While Brewer isn’t very valuable (and will probably be waived), a first-round pick certainly is. It’d be interesting to see if Magic decides to go Boston Celtics-style and stockpile first-round picks over the next few years.
While this move benefits Los Angeles in the long-run, Houston appears all in on this season, and with Williams on the bench, the Rockets have to be thinking about their ability to match the number of shooters the Golden State Warriors have.