NBA Rumors: Lakers Trade For Mavs' Jaden Hardy In Proposal

Evaluating young NBA players isn’t easy. You’re trying to make predictions about someone’s entire career. Usually, we frame our projections in terms of ceiling and floor. A player’s ceiling is the best player we could imagine them being. A player’s floor is the opposite. 

Some players have a very high ceiling – but the floor is reasonably low. Look at Jaden Hardy of the Dallas Mavericks. He’s remarkably skilled, but if he can’t fit into a team concept, he may not be a major player in the NBA. 

On the other hand, look at Max Christie of the Los Angeles Lakers. He feels like a safe bet to be a solid NBA player, but in all likelihood, stardom does not await him. Could the two be swapped for each other this summer? 

Here’s the other thing about evaluating young basketball players: often, we’re wrong. Players slip in the draft all of the time. There are countless examples. Often, they make everyone look bad in the process. 

Nikola Jokic. Draymond Green. Paul Millsap. These were all second-round picks, and in time, they all developed into stars. Evaluation is an imprecise science at best. 

Could Hardy be the next second-round steal? At one point in the draft cycle, he was seen as a potential star. Somewhere along the line, he slipped. Should the Mavericks cut ties with him already? 

If Hardy ends up being a star, the Mavericks could regret this move. On the other hand, Dallas already has its stars. Luka Doncic is one of the best players in the NBA. Kyrie Irving isn’t far behind. Will Hardy ever get an opportunity in this rotation? 

Time will tell. Unless, of course, it doesn’t. If Dallas makes this deal, Hardy will be seeking opportunities in Los Angeles. 

It’s a good deal for them. Christie is already a solid 3-and-D, and he’s young enough to grow with this roster. Meanwhile, adding the Lakers’ future first-round pick, even with protections, makes this a good opportunity to get value for Hardy. Should the Lakers invest in him? 

Some may not see our logic here. The Lakers have their stars too: why would Hardy get an opportunity here? Well, the Lakers have different stars. To begin with, theyre older. LeBron James in particular is nearing the age of retirement. 

They also aren’t guards. Hardy should find more minutes in this Lakers’ rotation than he has in Dallas. His ability to generate offense in the half court could be useful for them now. 

It could be even better for them down the road. The Lakers are obviously preparing for the future – they’ve been accumulating young players over the last couple of years. Hardy would be a sensible addition. After all, he’s got a very high ceiling. 

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