Georgios "Greek Papa" Papagiannis has had a stellar second season
This time a year ago, Georgios Papagiannis was looking like a 19 year old burnout bust, appearing unmotivated to improve and struggling with adapting to the physicality of the CSL game. Fast forward a year later, and despite an unorthodox switch to the 3, he's suddenly blossomed into a promising player, taking one of the biggest steps forward in the league.
Last Season's Stats
5.6 points, 3.5 rebounds, 0.8 blocks, 41.1% shooting
This Season's Stats (through 42 games)
14 points, 5.3 rebounds, 1.3 blocks, 50.8% shooting
That's an improvement of 8.4 points, 1.8 rebounds, 0.5 blocks, and a 9.7% FG conversion rate. Remarked first year head coach Erik Spoelstra, "We normally don't see that kind of massive jump until the third year, when a young player's endurance catches up to the rest of the league. It's amazing how Papa G has made that impressive a strides in his sophomore season - the complete opposite of Chasson Randle over in Portland."
Nor has his improvement gone unnoticed around the league. The Lakers fielded numerous calls for him and were close to a trade before the other team ultimately declined - a swap that would have involved equal talent at different positions and made sense for both sides.
"It is what is," said GM Jestor. "I think it was also one of those deals where it made sense, but both of us had reasons to be a little hesitant about it - and I've been busier this season than usual with a move that's eaten up a lot of my time." Jestor also noted that most teams were offering packages with Papa as the best player in the trade, and those were easy to reject.
"You've got a very young, promising two way big man who has shown ability to also play the 3. We weren't at all interested in a package - we wanted equal talent for equal talent," he said.
In fact, Papa was just pulled from the trade block and given the team's first allotted instruction hours of the season, cementing his place on the roster for the foreseeable future. Team sources also report he's being shifted to center to see how he performs inside.
Other Trade Rumors
There's one team that's offering a late first and an additional piece for a package of Patrick McCaw and Chieck Diallo. One Lakers official said the front office is currently examining the offering roster to see if there's a match, but puts the probability of an agreement at "around 20%. Chieck has higher scoring potential than first realized and after a slow start, he's picked up his shooting. We're also giving him far more court time the second half of the season. Patrick is also getting starter minutes going forward."
Christian Wood and Tyler Stone have gotten idle inquiries, but nothing concrete has emerged. According to team sources, the Lakers are leaning towards picking up Wood's option this summer and letting Stone walk if nothing emerges by the trade deadline - particularly after the Pacers' puzzling trade that dramatically increased the value of the 2024 1st the Purple and Gold possess.
The Draft
For once, the Lakers would be fine with a crash to #4. The front office reportedly loves what they've seen in the top end of scouting and already have a list of 5 or 6 players they're narrowing down for their own selection. Jestor's public comments about Frenchman Frank Ntikilina already have him trending to the Purple and Gold on mock drafts for his 3 position versatility that coincides with the team's three largest holes on the perimeter.
As for the Utah Jazz pick, almost certain to be a late first, things are much more murky. The current wisdom suggests that even if they go wing with their highest selection, they could double down there and draft two, inserting a new starting SG and SF to pair with the three headed post trio of Greek Papa, Wood, and Diallo, while Austin Rivers again runs the offense until they find their future option there.
Free Agency
Right now, the Lakers have just over $7 million in cap space with Tyler Stone's 8.7 million and Daniel Miller's $10 million coming off the books, along with small contracts in Mateusz Ponitka (an MIP candidate in his own right), David Nwaba, and Joel Bolomboy's 3.2 million - or $32 million in committed salary on 6 players before the two draft picks.
Austin Rivers will almost certainly be extended the QO and any RFA contract matched, and he's the only meaningful free agent this summer, meaning that the Lakers will again be players even though they're likely to reserve the cap for trades, RFA price driving, and cheap reclamation projects like Jon Leuer (Currently not panning out, but also hasn't received any attention and only scant playing time).
