Magic hoping trades help Lakers take next step

As the madness of the trade deadline begins to die down, the Los Angeles Lakers have arguably emerged as one of the winners after trading Jordan Clarkson and Larry Nance Jr. to the Cleveland Cavaliers for Isaiah Thomas, Channing Frye, and Cleveland's 2018 first-round pick.

Both Clarkson and Nance are signed through next season, whereas Thomas and Frye will be free agents this upcoming offseason, potentially allowing the Lakers an opportunity to clear cap space and make a run at star free agents. Lakers president Magic Johnson made sure the roster was built to handle that proposition for an opportunity to become contenders.

"We're still on the outside looking in," Johnson said, according to ESPN's Ohm Youngmisuk. "No matter how good we've been playing, we're not in the playoffs; we are not one of the top eight teams in the West. That's just the bottom line. So, I don't want to stay in this position. I want to have us be in the playoffs, and the only path to that is to add to the roster that we already have."

The Lakers are currently 11th in the Western Conference, six games out of a playoff spot. The end goal of the team has been obvious ever since Johnson's arrival as president. Adding elite talent to the young, up-and-coming roster has been a priority to get the team back into contention.

"I don't want to stay where we are," Johnson said. "I don't want to be on the outside of the playoffs looking in. We have to take another step, right? So this move allows us to position ourselves to hopefully take that next step."

Thomas is owed $6.2 million this season and Frye is due $7.4 million before entering unrestricted free agency.