KWAME GOES TO LA
The Los Angeles Lakers acquired forward-center Kwame Brown and guard Laron Profit from the Washington Wizards for forward Caron Butler and guard Chucky Atkins.
What does it give the Los Angeles Lakers
A possible star center they've needed since Shaquille O'Neal was traded to Miami. Since Shaq left, the Lake Show has suffered from the old 'donut' problem--they're good on the outside but have a hole in the middle. Brown certainly has talent, as evidenced by him being chosen first overall in the 2001 draft. It's still not too late for him to become a star and Phil Jackson likes to give big minutes to dominant big men on his teams. Look for Brown to be given every opportunity to succeed as a Laker, and for him to likely step up with a fresh start in new surroundings. Profit is a little-used shooting guard who is a throw-in for salary cap and roster purposes who won't play much (if at
all) for the Lakers.
What does it give the Washington Wizards
An end to a long-time headache, and some depth in their backcourt.
Neither Butler nor Atkins has the upside of Brown, but they help the Wiz recover from the recent loss of star guard Larry Hughes to free agency.
Butler can play both shooting guard and small forward, and looks to be a starter for the Wiz. Atkins projects as a back-up point guard to all-star Gilbert Arenas, but he's a quality player who can lead a team when called upon. The Wizards will have a tough time replacing Hughes, but along with free agent guard Antonio Daniels, at least they're a little deeper than before with Butler and Atkins.
Fantasy impact
