Mudiay’s shooting and playmaking also have been concerning — which is why Johnson and Winslow were higher on Jackson’s board. Mudiay is a career 37.2 percent shooter, and sources say the Nuggets have attempted to trade him multiple times. He has lost his starting job to Jamal Murray.
That leaves only a few plausible alternatives. The Pistons could target a distressed young point guard like Elfrid Payton or Emmanuel Mudiay, and snag a rental wing to make up the salary gap. Mudiay is available, per several league sources, though it appears Denver has no interest in Jackson. Orlando remains an intriguing fit; Rob Hennigan, the Magic GM, was part of the Thunder front office that drafted Jackson, and the team is starting freaking C.J. Watson over Payton.
The Russell Westbrook situation does seem a little more interesting, at least in the sense that the Lakers might have more control than they do in talks with James. The team, after all, could always add more stuff to any trade offers in an effort to unload Westbrook. And depending on what the expectations are in return, they could simply just keep piling on the limited trade assets that they have (pick swaps, second-round picks, etc.). So far, that’s a road the Lakers haven’t seriously taken, Rob Pelinka surprising plenty of folks around the NBA with his hesitancy to attach multiple draft picks with Westbrook in trade talks.