Radmanovic trade a mistake for Lakers

Some trades are simply mind-boggling. The Los Angeles Lakers' trade that sent Vladimir Radmanovic to the Charlotte Bobcats for Adam Morrison and Shannon Brown, is alarmingly close to that dubious distinction. If "mind-boggling" isn't the best description, then just plain "dumb" should suffice.

This is an awful, awful trade for the Lakers. I'm sure casual NBA fans will dismiss this deal as an unimportant, minor trade -- but not so fast, my friends. Radmanovic is one of the premier three-point shooters in the NBA, and he's about as close to automatic as they come at 44 percent from beyond the arc. He'd fallen back into Phil Jackson's doghouse of late, and my guess is that The Zenmaster was entirely fed up with the player he often called a "Space Cadet."

That's too bad, though, because Radmanovic should have been a very useful player for the Lakers, providing floor space for Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol, and bringing high-percentage shooting from downtown as well as the free throw stripe. If Luke Walton, Trevor Ariza, and Radmanovic were considered Los Angeles' trio of small forwards, I'd rank Radmanovic either first or second out of the set. Ariza's probably a better all-around player, but I'd definitely take Radmanovic over Walton, who oddly enough, is the one who gets the bulk of the minutes.

Sure the Lakers have Derek Fisher, Sasha Vujacic, Jordan Farmar, and occasionally both Walton and Ariza to provide spacing for Kobe, but Radmanovic is the second-best outside shooter of that group, after Vujacic. (And perhaps Fisher).

Without a doubt, Radmanovic was the best player involved in this trade, so kudos to the Bobcats' decision-makers. They've built an intriguing core with Raymond Felton, Raja Bell, Boris Diaw, Emeka Okafor, Gerald Wallace, D.J. Augustin, and Radmanovic. Both Bell and Diaw were acquired through a trade this season, too.

Coming to L.A. are Morrison and Shannon Brown. Morrison's been a total disappointment throughout his short tenure in the NBA, but one could argue that the Bobcats didn't give him much of a chance to develop. Regardless, the moustache man has been unable to find the range consistently at the professional level. He's wildly inconsistent from the outside, and he's a sitting duck defensively. I doubt he'll bring anything to the table for the Lakers this season.

Brown is a phenomenal athlete, but a raw basketball player. You'll catch him in the highlight reels at garbage time, but he doesn't have the hardwood intelligence to be a regular contributor on a high class team.

This trade represents a big loss for the Lakers. I'm not saying Vladimir Radmanovic is the Messiah, I'm merely saying that Los Angeles was better off with him, than without. 

Note: I posted this piece on my other blog, here.