Lakers Trade Cook, Evans for Ariza ... Huh?
Another trade by a local team that doesn't make a lot of sense, at first glance. Or second.
The Lakers today traded 6-9 forward Brian Cook and 6-5 guard Maurice Evans to Orlando for 6-8 forward Trevor Ariza.
And what's up with that?
The Lakers gave up two fairly solid bench players for one. And that one was buried on the Orlando bench.
Trying to puzzle this out, Mitch Kupchak might have been thinking ...
--Brian Cook basically is a shooter, and with Vlad Radmanovic signed for another four seasons, you already have your designated soft-defending, bad-rebounding, three-point-shooting big man.
--Cook is in Year 1 of a three-year $10.5-million contract. So the club saves about $3.5 million per year. Maybe to use in a free-agent signing this coming summer? Or to get back closer to the salary cap?
--Ariza is more a banger, in the 3 spot, a good defender, and maybe the Lakers wanted one of those off the bench, with Luke Walton and Lamar Odom being less-than-stellar defenders.
Otherwise, this doesn't make much sense. Phil Jackson didn't sound exactly sold on the concept. "We gave up two players that were veterans, experienced players who fit into our system relatively well," Jackson told The AP today.
I think the Lakers will miss Evans more than Cook. He was the most athletic guy on the team, even moreso than Kobe Bryant. A great leaper and very quick. Under-utilized, as well. Now, all the Lakers' guards who aren't named Kobe are small or unathletic or both.
Hmm. You'd like to think Kupchak knows what he's doing.
I'd feel a lot better if it were Jerry West making this deal.