23 hours ago 2

Los Angeles Lakers add athletic Arkansas wing in historic 7-team Kevin Durant trade

The NBA world witnessed history on Sunday as seven teams came together to facilitate the largest trade of all time. The Minnesota Timberwolves, Los Angeles Lakers, Houston Rockets, Phoenix Suns, Brooklyn Nets, Golden State Warriors, and Atlanta Hawks collaborated on the Kevin Durant blockbuster deal, which has now become a part of NBA history.

“Coming off finishing second in the West with only one starter (guard Fred VanVleet) older than 28, the Rockets were surely best positioned to thread the needle of surrounding Durant with enough talent to contend for a championship—particularly as the price dropped to the point where they didn't have to include any of their most prized young players in return,” ESPN’s NBA Insiders wrote.

In this deal, the Lakers landed a highly athletic wing who could pay dividends once the season begins.

“The Los Angeles Lakers landed wing Adou Thiero with the 36th pick after a massive trade with the Minnesota Timberwolves,” Sports Illustrated’s Ricardo Sandoval wrote. “Thiero is a player they highly coveted, and now he will rock the purple and gold. Thiero stands at 6-foot-8 and weighs 220 pounds. The 21-year-old is coming off a season in which he averaged 15.1 points per game, 5.8 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 1.6 steals while shooting 54.5 percent from the field on 9.1 attempts per game and 25.6 percent on 1.6 threes per game in 27 games and 27.5 minutes of action.”

The Lakers find themselves in an unusual timeline, needing to satisfy LeBron James while also building around Luka Doncic. Adding Thiero gives them an athletic wing capable of doing just about everything. He showed huge potential last year at Arkansas before suffering an injury. Though Thiero is currently injured and won’t participate in the Summer League, he is expected to be ready to make an impact during the regular season.