Austin Rivers express-shipped his new jersey so he could wear it on the plane
The stalemate didn't take long to break after all.
Reports said the Los Angeles Lakers were only going to trade one of Emmanuel Mudiay or Austin Rivers - if either one. And today, it became official that Rivers, 25, would be the one swimming away, leaving Mudiay. In a three-team trade with the Washington Wizards and Los Angeles Clippers, of all teams, Rivers was shipped to DC in exchange for the Houston Rockets' 2024 1st.
"We're disappointed about the Kemba Walker trade Houston made immediately after," said one Lakers official, "While we already projected that as a late first round selection, that essentially cements it in the 25-30 range." Despite the front office's anger at once again getting screwed over after trading for another team's first round pick, like happens to Jestor with every god damn first he ever trades for not his own while Phoenix, Sacramento, and Miami keep getting all the god damn fucking luck in the world with THEIR first round picks of other teams, because fuck the Pacific and its bullshit forever fucking young top two teams, where were we?...
...Oh, right. Rivers came to the Lakers for pure cap space last season in a desperation dump by the Pacers. Although he was made available, none offered for him. So the team simply signed him to a cut-rate, five year flat-rate $6.5 million a year contract and then sent him off for... cap space and a first, essentially resulting in a late first round pick for free.
The deal also gives Los Angeles the following picks arsenal:
2023 Lakers 1st
2023 Bulls 2nd
2023 Blazers 2nd
2023 Clippers 2nd
2024 Lakers 1st
2024 Pacers 1st
2024 Rockets 1st
2024 Lakers 2nd
2025 Lakers 1st
2025 Lakers 2nd
Or in other words - 10 picks over the next 3 drafts, including 5 first round picks. While not quite the treasure trove of picks owned by luckier teams, it's nonetheless a chest that will ensure financial freedom for the next several years.
Their cap space has also jumped from $4 million and change to $10.5 million as a result of the deal - and that's before taking into account Christian Wood's $15.5 million and the raft of other free agents - a situation that sets up the Lakers to have almost a complete roster by the time summer starts and only Cheick Diallo expected to be the critical re-signing if he isn't moved by the trade deadline.
