Los Angeles Lakers received Maurice Lucas. Phoenix Suns received 1988 second-round pick (#50-Steve Kerr) and 1989 second-round pick (#52-Greg Grant). Slight Suns Edge. Los Angeles Lakers is graded B-; Phoenix Suns is graded B. The completed outcome is judged on realized player production, draft conversion and traceable downstream trade value rather than on the best later name merely associated with a pick.
Los Angeles acquired Maurice Lucas from Phoenix on August 19, 1985 for two future second-round picks. Lucas played 77 regular-season games for the Lakers in 1985-86, averaged 10.2 points and 7.4 rebounds, and appeared in 14 playoff games. He was no longer the All-Star version Phoenix had used earlier in the decade, but he gave a contender real frontcourt production for a full season before moving on to Seattle.
The first pick became No. 50 in 1988, and Phoenix selected Steve Kerr. Kerr played 26 games for the Suns as a rookie before being traded to Cleveland for another future second-round pick. The second asset became No. 52 in 1989, when Phoenix selected Greg Grant. Grant played 67 games with three starts as a rookie. The Suns therefore converted both incoming picks into NBA players rather than watching either asset expire unused.
Kerr eventually became a major championship role player elsewhere, but those later Bulls and Spurs seasons do not belong in Phoenix’s grade. The useful comparison is what the Suns actually received: one rookie season from Kerr, one rookie season from Grant, and an additional second-round asset when Kerr was moved. Los Angeles received the better single season from Lucas, while Phoenix created more branches and retained more future optionality.
Steve Kerr becoming a five-time champion as a player makes the 1988 No. 50 pick famous in hindsight, but he did not spend those championship seasons with Phoenix. The Suns selected him using the second-round obligation originating with the Lakers and saw only the portion of his career that belonged to their roster. The companion second became No. 52 in 1989, associated with Greg Grant, another legitimate choice but not a future star. Los Angeles obtained Maurice Lucas, an accomplished veteran near the end of his NBA career, for immediate frontcourt support. His Lakers service should be evaluated over the period he actually played in Los Angeles. That makes the B- and B scores close: Phoenix controlled two selections that turned into NBA players, while the Lakers received an experienced forward without committing a first-round pick.
Slight Suns Edge — Phoenix B, Los Angeles B-. Lucas gave the Lakers 77 solid regular-season games and useful playoff minutes, so the acquisition worked in the short term. Phoenix still finishes slightly ahead because both second-round picks became NBA players and Kerr was later converted into another draft asset. The edge stays narrow because Phoenix does not receive retrospective credit for Kerr’s championships with other franchises.