Lakers Trade Radmanovic for Morrison and Brown
February 7, 2009 by Stephen Kersey
Filed under NBA News, NBA Teams, NFL Player Analysis
Last season, Vladimir Radmanovic spent considerable time in the starting lineup for the Los Angeles Lakers. After an apparent falling out with the coaching staff, Radmanovic is being sent to the Charlotte Bobcats for Adam Morrison and Shannon Brown.
The reasoning for this trade for the Lakers is salary related. They needed to dump Radmanovic’s salary to open up room to re-sign Lamar Odom and Trevor Ariza. By taking on Morrison and Brown, the Lakers have successfully lowered their long-term salary commitment.
For the Bobcats, they needed a small forward. Radmanovic wasn’t getting much playing time for the Lakers but he could eventually see a lot of time with Charlotte. The only true small forward the Bobcats have is Gerald Wallace and considering his fragile nature, they needed more insurance.
In the fantasy world, Radmanovic can provide three-pointers at a high clip and a frequent rate — as long as he gets the time. With Gerald Wallace suffering from a punctured lung, Radmanovic could step into a big role right away.
As for Morrison and Brown, it’d be a long shot that either one of the players ends up in the Lakers’ rotation. That said, both players are talented and if they reach their potential, they could still be long-term NBA prospects.
