Roster construction is a difficult task. There are many methods to building a roster. Many will agree that acquiring a superstar is of utmost importance, but it is also incredibly difficult.

When superstars can’t be had, sometimes making the small moves and getting those right is just as important. Sometimes, a series of small moves helps eventually get to that superstar.

The Lakers didn’t come away with Anthony Davis, but they did acquire two players in trade in Reggie Bullock and Mike Muscala in two separate moves.  

We’re going to focus on the Ivica Zubac and Michael Beasley for Mike Muscala trade.

What did the Lakers give up?

First, let’s begin with Ivica Zubac.

On top of these grades is the trend of Ivica Zubac during the season. Ivica Zubac surged throughout the month of January.

And this was especially evident in games where he played over 20 minutes.

As someone who is very familiar with the NBA draft and draft prospects, this gives a clear sign that Zubac is a top tier backup center right now. But considering he’s at age 21 with this kind of productivity, there’s a reasonable outcome for him to eventually become a starting center. He got over a rough sophomore year, a rough summer league, and just when he started showing his abilities, he got traded.

Ivica Zubac wasn’t the only Laker player with a good January. Michael Beasley did too.

First let’s start with Michael Beasley’s talent grades this season:

Michael Beasley had an underrated month.

It really showed when he played in games over 15 minutes.

It’s important to note here how his net plus-minus wasn’t too extreme. He wasn’t a top-eight rotation player, but played like one. Sure, occasional -12 and -13 games are going to happen, but it speaks a lot about him, and his role when he was able to make some net positive effect, even when this month has been tumultuous for the Laker team with given injuries and trade rumors.

The Talent the Lakers Acquired

Let’s start with Mike Muscala’s player grades.

While not initially impressive, especially in comparison to Ivica Zubac or Michael Beasley, there are a few important things to note.

He had a solid January, even if his individual numbers may not reflect as well as Zubac or Beasley.

His 59.6% TS is tremendous, and having a consistent 38% 3-point shooting threat on over four attempts per game for this season would go far for the Lakers.

But look at his net effect on the floor with the 76ers throughout January:

Throughout 13 games, it’s overwhelmingly positive. Outside of a few blips of -2, -3, and -4 games, there’s just one -8. Meanwhile, he played solid minutes against the Timberwolves, the Pacers, the Thunder, and the Rockets.

Check out the net rating of the 76ers when he’s on the floor. This is in descending order by minutes.

Outside of one lineup which includes a two-tower setup with Joel Embiid, Mike Muscala, and Landry Shamet, these lineups are overwhelmingly positive. The 76ers are a very talented team, especially with two shooters (Shamet, Redick) based around Ben Simmons, Joel Embiid, and Jimmy Butler, but it’s important to note how tough it is to find the right fifth player to finish the lineup too. Oddly enough, Muscala has fit well next to Embiid despite playing center most of his career.

Not only is the net effect rating large across multiple lineups, the assist percentage, assist ratio, and rebounding percentages were all considerably above average. He has shown that he is capable of playing at top-tier Laker pace in comparison to last season as well.

The Lakers are currently ranked #4 in the league at 103.6. Almost every lineup is played with a pace overwhelmingly above that mark.

The Big Picture

It’s tough to give up Michael Beasley and Ivica Zubac, especially when they are great individual talents. It wouldn’t surprise me if Zubac ended up a quality starting center on a playoff team, and I’m personally high on his upside given his breakthrough season this year.

Michael Beasley played like a true veteran and showed up to games after dealing with family tragedy. He was a professional, and that’s all a team can ask for.

What makes this tough is the idea of the Lakers still in talent accumulation mode. They are still looking for their second star. They are still (potentially) looking for their third star. Acquiring LeBron James meant accelerating the championship window timeline and unfortunately, young players “click” at their own pace. It hurts to see what D’Angelo Russell and Julius Randle are doing for other teams, and even Larry Nance Jr. and Jordan Clarkson are having good seasons in their given roles. We just started to see Ivica Zubac click.

So, this isn’t a great “talent-for-talent” trade. Through that lens, this is clearly one-sided. Optimistically, I could see Zubac as a double-double player with two blocks per game in over 25+ minutes or so. He has great hands and teams, like the Clippers, would value his size, reach, hands, and motor.

But, this was a big picture move. It was about finding the guy that fit around star players more easily, rather than having young talents constantly trying to prove themselves.  

The net effect of this trade would really show around a team with two stars. LeBron is the spearhead, but Muscala has thrived on being surrounded by great talent 1-through-4.

Let’s hope we get to see that opportunity. We may have to wait until 2020 to see it, but it may be worth it.