Lou Williams, now a member of the Houston Rockets, was almost traded to the Utah Jazz. Or, rather, he could have been traded to the Jazz, in exchange for a first-round pick, but wasn’t, because the Los Angeles Lakers waited too long.
Which, of course, is on the since-fired Mitch Kupchak and Jim Buss.
From ESPN.com’s Ramona Shelburne:
Several teams had already inquired about high-scoring guard Lou Williams and offered draft picks. At least one of those offers (from the Houston Rockets and Utah Jazz) included a first-round pick. Why, Jeanie Buss asked, were the Lakers waiting?
Johnson couldn’t get an answer either — and that was the point of bringing him in.
…
His first day on the job was spent fielding trade calls. Utah’s offer of a first-round pick for Williams was off the table by then, so Magic told teams he was looking for a first-round pick and a player whose salary and time left on his contract matched up with Williams’. Johnson told any team that didn’t offer a first not to call back until it was ready to do so.
The Jazz’s pick is projected to finish two spots earlier than the Rockets’ selection. That’s not a huge deal, but every spot matters when a first-rounder is involved.
Plus, the Lakers wouldn’t have needed to take on a Corey Brewer-like contract from the Jazz. Maybe the deal would have been built around Boris Diaw and his non-guaranteed salary next year. Or perhaps the Jazz might have included Alec Burks, who, while under contract through 2018-19, would have given the Lakers a reasonably priced 25-year-old to evaluate against their future.
There’s always the chance that Utah would have backed out anyway had Los Angeles acted on the initial offer. That the Lakers didn’t, though, is a small-time failure.
One that turned into the Rockets’ immense gain.
