Sports

Nate McMillan, Scott Brooks and the infamous NBA brawl that’s a part of JJ Redick’s Lakers

Published

1 day ago

January 6, 2025

Nate McMillan, Scott Brooks and the infamous NBA brawl that’s a part of JJ Redick’s Lakers

LOS ANGELES — It was one week into his new job as coach of the Los Angeles Lakers when JJ Redick had a sudden rush of horror.

He had just hired his first two assistant coaches, and he couldn’t have been more pleased. Nate McMillan had 19 years of NBA head-coaching experience. And Scott Brooks spent 12 years as an NBA head coach. Both played point guard in the NBA, McMillan for 12 seasons and Brooks for 10. They had a combined 1,281 wins as coaches.

It was the perfect blend of experience, knowledge and credibility that Redick felt he needed beside him as a first-time coach.

But then, the rush of horror: Someone sent him a video.

As Redick watched, his jaw dropped. There on his screen were McMillan and Brooks at each other’s throats during a 1993 playoff game. Their dust-up — McMillan elbowing Brooks in the jaw as he drove baseline, and Brooks launching into McMillan in retaliation — sparked a bench-clearing brawl in the third quarter of Game 5 between McMillan’s Seattle SuperSonics and Brooks’ Houston Rockets.

Both McMillan and Brooks were ejected and later fined.

“I was like, ‘Jesus! How did I not know this?’” Redick remembers saying to himself.

Before Redick had watched the video, he had scheduled a video call with McMillan and Brooks for the next day. He planned to talk plays, philosophy and ask the veteran coaches how they would map out training camp. Now, knowing what he knew about their past, he felt he needed a different opening to the meeting.

“So, I get on the Zoom the next day, and am like, ‘Uh, first off … are you guys OK? Are we good here? Because I was unaware,’” Redick said.

Over the last 31 years, McMillan said he and Brooks never really talked to each other about their confrontation. Even in the immediate wake of the fight, before Game 6, there was no handshake, no apology, no nothing.

And it pretty much stayed that way for three decades.

“We didn’t acknowledge that until we coached against each other,” McMillan said. “And even then, we would just kind of nod at each other and smile. But you know, in the back of your mind it’s … that’s the guy …”

When the two were announced as Redick’s top assistants on July 3, the stalemate was broken. Redick said the two told him they connected on the phone after their hires.

“They worked it out,” Redick said.

Turns out, there wasn’t much to work out. As players, McMillan and Brooks were never the most talented guys on the floor. They had extended careers because they were smart and scrappy. The way each held his ground that day in Seattle could have been any other day in their careers: No backing down, no inch given.

So, after the incident, there was no need to address it. Neither player held a grudge. Neither had regret. It was business as usual.

But all these years later, a funny thing happened once they joined Redick’s staff and got to know each other. McMillan and Brooks found they are linked by more than just their scuffle.

“We’re the same guy,” McMillan said.

By the time Game 5 arrived in the second-round series between Seattle and Houston in 1993, McMillan was on edge.

McMillan and Brooks were backups — McMillan to Gary Payton and Brooks to Kenny Smith — and they were beginning to face off more as the series evolved. Brooks’ minutes increased from nine and seven in the first two games to 21 minutes in Games 3 and 4. That meant Brooks and McMillan often going head-to-head.

“They had (Vernon) Maxwell over there acting crazy and s—, and we were already fired up to play them,” McMillan said. “And then, (Brooks) was out there being a pest, scrapping and clawing for everything … and I just had enough.”

It was a marquee playoff matchup — Houston and Seattle both finished 55-27 and were stacked with stars: The Sonics with a young Payton and Shawn Kemp and Houston with accomplished veterans Hakeem Olajuwon, Otis Thorpe and Smith.

In his seventh NBA season, McMillan was a lanky 6-foot-5 floor general, known for his steady and reliable decisions and dogged defense. Brooks was a pesky, 5-foot-10 jitter bug — a pass-first point guard who took pride in being a nuisance on defense.

The series was tied 2-2, and as Game 5 unfolded, McMillan and Brooks found themselves tangled and locked up with each other on several occasions. In the third quarter, McMillan drove left and tried to lose Brooks on a screen by teammate Derrick McKey. Brooks bounced off McKey and immediately re-engaged with McMillan, touching and bumping him along the way.

“They had been banging pretty good, all game,” referee Bob Delaney told The Athletic. “I thought they would figure it out one way or another.”

They did.

McMillan tried to create space by giving Brooks a nudge with his elbow. As he continued toward the basket, McMillan gave another elbow. All the while, Brooks remained unfazed, still attached to McMillan’s side.

“At that point, it was like … enough is enough,” McMillan said.

McMillan continued driving and rose toward the basket, his elbow catching Brooks flush on the chin. Brooks responded by lunging at McMillan and grabbing his jersey near the armpits. Brooks pushed McMillan into the basket stanchion.

Then, mayhem.

Thorpe threw Kemp to the floor. Players dogpiled under the basket. Sonics coach George Karl was in the middle of it all, spinning and spewing, later admitting he was trying to get Thorpe to punch him so the Rockets forward would get suspended.

Beneath it all was McMillan and Brooks.

“I was trying to get underneath him,” McMillan said. “But he was too small … so we just went to the floor. Someone got put in a chokehold … and we were all on the floor tussling and all that, but no blows were thrown or anything.”

Delaney, the lead official, broke his right pinky while trying to break up the quarrel. To this day, his pinky juts out at an odd angle.

“So, I’m reminded of that game daily,” Delaney said with a chuckle. “And the funny thing is, those are two good, good guys. Great guys. It was just a heat-of-the-battle thing.”

McMillan and Karl were fined $5,000. Brooks was fined $2,000.

The Sonics went on to win Game 5, and later the series after a 103-100 win in Game 7, with the lasting image of a memorable series provided by two backups.

It shouldn’t have been a surprise that McMillan and Brooks would find themselves tussling on the court. Brooks, after all, was in seventh grade when his mother drove him to the house of a kid who beat up Brooks. She watched as her son got his revenge on the kids’ front lawn. The lesson: Never get bullied.

McMillan, meanwhile, had his own experience with sticking up for himself. Earlier in his career, he got into it with Maxwell after the Rockets guard undercut him in a game, and he fought with big men Kevin Willis and Mark Bryant.

“Kevin Willis hit me with a cheap shot — a screen — and I tried to take his head off,” McMillan said. “Same thing with Mark Bryant.”

Brooks, who has taken a no-media stance since joining the Lakers, twice declined to be interviewed for this story. It’s not because Brooks harbors ill feelings or regret about the incident.

“We laugh about it all the time now,” McMillan said. “The first thing I saw when they announced they had signed both of us was the video (of the fight). And my daughter (Brittany) was like, ‘Dad!?! What is going on?’ She had never seen that, she didn’t know. And Scotty’s kid and wife said the same thing: ‘What are you guys doing?’”

It didn’t take long for McMillan to discover he and Brooks share something more than a memorable tussle.

“He is the coolest MFer, man,” McMillan said. “I could hang with him.”

McMillan related to Brooks’ backstory — a 10-year NBA career after being undrafted — and he remembered his hard-nosed style of play.

“We both had to come up through this s— the hard way,” McMillan said. “We weren’t scorers; we were hard-hat guys. Glue guys. We had to scrap in order to make it in this league.”

As McMillan spent more time with Brooks, he also became drawn to his knowledge and the way Brooks interacted with people.

“We are very similar,” McMillan said. “We are no-nonsense. Old school. But he is different from me in that he can communicate in a way that I can’t. Like, you look at me, and you don’t know if we are up 40 or down 40. Scotty actually smiles. He actually has a personality. And that makes him great with the staff and the team. Like, I could play for him. Just a great deal of respect for him.”

Scott Brooks (left) and Nate McMillan coached against each other for years after their brawl as players but never acknowledged the dust-up until joining the Lakers staff last summer. (Mike Ehrmann / Getty Images)

When Redick was hired in June, the extent of his sideline experience was coaching his son’s third-grade team in Brooklyn. As a result, Redick said he and Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka wanted to hire two former head coaches to assist him.

Redick, a sharpshooter who logged 15 seasons in the NBA, never played for McMillan or Brooks. He said his interaction with McMillan was limited to a 2018 free-agency pitch made by Indiana, when McMillan was the head coach (Redick chose to sign with Philadelphia). However, Redick played a season and a half with New Orleans, where McMillan’s son, Jamelle, was a player development coach.

“I just always felt really comfortable with the person and character of Nate,” Redick said. “And as my name got involved in the coaching stuff, I had a half-dozen people reach out and say, ‘Non-negotiable, you have to hire Scotty Brooks.”

Redick says they have both been “perfect fits” because each can offer a different perspective.

“I call both of them my spiritual gurus,” Redick said. “They are great with the X’s and O’s stuff — our entire staff is — but I think with them, it’s just … they have seen everything having been in the NBA 35-40 years. There are three or four times a week where I’m like, ‘Hey, did I handle that right? How should I handle this … and what did your teams do when they were going through X, Y, Z?’ They have lived it all.”

McMillan, who last coached the Atlanta Hawks in 2023, said the offer to join Redick’s staff was too good to turn down. He said he knew he was done with head coaching after being fired by the Hawks, but the chance to coach LeBron James and Anthony Davis, and to not have to deal with the headaches of being a head coach appealed to him.

“I’m over the first seat. I’m done with that,” McMillan said. “My thing is to assist JJ and give him my thoughts, and whatever he decides, assist him on his decision. I’m not the offensive coach. I’m not the defensive coach. I just kind of chat with everybody, help with game management, and, if he has any questions, tell him what I see.”

One of the first pieces of advice McMillan offered involved James, one of the game’s biggest superstars. He implored Redick to hold firm and believe in his system, believe in his coaching, even if James pushes back.

“One thing I’ve learned as I’ve played and coached in this league is those stars want to be coached, too,” McMillan said. “They want to be coached, and they need to be coached. So, I’m telling JJ here that LeBron, he’s going to question everything … because he’s great. But if you believe what you are doing, it’s OK. It’s that old saying: If we are both agreeing on everything, then s—, we don’t need one of you.’”

JJ Redick hired Brooks (center) and McMillan without realizing their history. “I was like, ‘Jesus! How did I not know this?’’’ Redick remembers saying to himself. (Harry How/Getty Images)

McMillan said Redick has been exceptional in the way he has delivered his message to the Lakers. He said it’s like watching one of the game’s Redick called when he was an announcer for ESPN.

“He’s almost like Hubie (Brown), how when you watch one of his games, he makes you understand it,’’ McMillan said. “He’s doing that for his players. The X’s and O’s, and putting all that together — he has to work on that, and he has (assistant) Greg St. Jean, who is really helping him. All that will come. But his ability to communicate with players, he’s been great. He challenges them all; he coaches them all. And he’s not afraid of LeBron. He respects him, but he says what he thinks and what he wants to say.”

And somewhere down the line this season, Redick says he will hold a special film session with the team. It will be the clip from Game 5 of the 1993 playoffs, when two assistants on the Lakers bench went head-to-head … and beyond.

“At some point, I’m going to show that clip to the team,’’ Redick said. “Just so they can understand who those two f—s are.’’

(Photo illustration: Dan Goldfarb/The Athletic; Getty; Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE, Thearon W. Henderson)

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Sports

Aryna Sabalenka’s remarkable Australia record continues, injury retirements spoil ATP, WTA finals

Published

5 hours ago

January 7, 2025

Press Room

Aryna Sabalenka’s remarkable Australia record continues, injury retirements spoil ATP, WTA finals

Welcome back to the Monday Tennis Briefing, where The Athletic will explain the stories behind the stories from the past week on court.

This week, the first tournaments of 2025 reached their sharp ends all across Australia and New Zealand. Aryna Sabalenka continued a remarkable record and too many matches were ended by retirements.

If you’d like to follow our fantastic tennis coverage, click here.

How to beat Aryna Sabalenka in Australia?

On the face of it, there’s little to give the rest of the field hope. World No. 1 Sabalenka comes into the Australian Open as the two-time defending champion, on a run of 27 wins in 28 hard-court Grand Slam matches that took in her first U.S. Open title in September alongside the two Melbourne majors.

She has also won 27 of her last 28 matches in Australia after winning the Brisbane International title on Sunday, staying strong in an event in which 10 of the 16 seeded players exited at the first opportunity.

It wasn’t as straightforward as her record in Australia suggests. Sabalenka had to battle past Mirra Andreeva in the semis in a tougher match than the 6-3, 6-2 scoreline suggests, before overcoming a wobbly first set to beat qualifier Polina Kudermetova 4-6, 6-3, 6-2 in the final. Sabalenka hit 36 unforced errors in what was a pretty scratchy performance, but she got the job done.

At this stage, she knows that against pretty much every opponent, the match will be on her racket. If Sabalenka plays close to her best level, she appears pretty much unbeatable on this surface, with the rest of the field hoping for either a lights-out performance of their own, or one of Sabalenka’s increasingly infrequent off-days.

GO DEEPER

‘I can be the best player in the world’: Aryna Sabalenka crowns the season of her life

Charlie Eccleshare

Why so many injury retirements just a week into the season?

The first week of the 2025 tennis season — a chunk of which took place in 2024 — had a very 2021 feel, as Reilly Opelka and Naomi Osaka plowed into the finals in Australia and New Zealand respectively. Back then, Osaka was the world’s dominant woman and Opelka was a top-20 player.

But come the clinch, their starts to 2025 ended up feeling like their 2024s. Opelka, who has struggled with hip and wrist injuries and a host of related complications for much of the past two years, retired from his final in Brisbane against Jiri Lehecka with a back injury down 4-1 in the first set.

Osaka, who battled plenty of niggles through 2024 and ended the season early with a back injury, won the first set of her final against Clara Tauson before retiring with an abdominal injury.

It’s not the way either player wanted to finish some of their best weeks in a long time, but with the season’s first Grand Slam just six days away, stopping short of the finish line appeared to be the only safe move. One word they both used during their post-match comments: “Sorry”.

Both players have seemingly been around forever but are also still relatively young. Osaka, 27, said last year she was focused on trying to play at least another five to seven years; in Auckland she suggested that her longevity would be more tied to her ranking than her body.

“I’d rather spend time with my daughter if I’m not where I think I should be and where I feel like I can be,” she said in a news conference.

Opelka has not had the luxury of thinking long-term like that. A nearly seven-feet tall frame carries its own disadvantages when it comes to injury prevention.

Reilly Opelka beat Novak Djokovic on his run to the final in Brisbane (William West / AFP via Getty Images)

“I’m going to really embrace these next couple weeks to train and get a lot stronger physically,” Opelka said after his first-round loss at the U.S. Open in August, which was early days for his comeback.

“The goal is to be able to pin a really big offseason in December.”

There was one other high-profile retirement, with Tomas Machac suddenly pulling out of his match against Taylor Fritz in the semifinals of the United Cup. Machac, who was up a set and 5-2, had two match points on Fritz’s serve and served for the match, but the American broke him to take the set to 4-5.

At the changeover, Machac imploded, throwing his racket and screaming at his coach. At the next one, down 6-5 with Fritz serving to take the match to a third set, he did it again. One point into the game, Machac walked to the net and told Fritz he’d been suffering from cramps, having been pointing and gesturing at his upper legs for parts of the second set.

Machac then pulled out of the Adelaide International with a knee injury, also hoping to be fit for the Australian Open. Having spent 2024 looking at times like a world-beater, at times mentally and physically undercooked, he remains an enigma.

Matt Futterman

A last flourish for Kei Nishikori?

On the subject of injuries, given the rotten luck he’s had, surely no one would begrudge Kei Nishikori a last flourish in his career. Now 35, the former world No. 4 knows his best days are behind him, but continues to give everything in search of another big moment.

Just staying fit for a while would probably feel like enough, but Nishikori is suggesting he might just be capable of a first title in six years. He went all the way to the final in the 250-level Hong Kong Open last week, coming within a set of victory only to run out of steam in the final against Alexandre Muller, who won all five of his matches from a set down. Nishikori succumbed 2-6, 6-1, 6-3.

His resurgence follows his 2014 U.S. Open final opponent Marin Cilic coming back from devastating injury problems of his own to win the Hangzhou Open in September, and a month earlier Nishikori told The Athletic in a Zoom interview that 2025 was the year he wanted to push for better results.

Of 2024, he said, “I still want to go slow. And hopefully I can stay healthy and play many matches.” He then added, “I hope I can start playing good from next year.”

Most of the tennis world hopes so too.

GO DEEPER

How Marin Cilic and Kei Nishikori stunned tennis at the 2014 U.S. Open

Charlie Eccleshare

To defend or not to defend a title?

A strange thing happened during this Australian summer of tennis: the defending WTA champions of 2024 decided they didn’t much feel like protecting their titles.

Coco Gauff won Auckland last year; she played United Cup this year. Elena Rybakina won Brisbane; she, too decided to play the United Cup.

Emma Navarro won Hobart, back when she was a player who played tournaments the week before a Grand Slam because everything was new and she needed rankings points wherever she could find them. That’s not who she thought she was anymore, given that she is the world No. 8. She signed up for Brisbane, but then became one of a slew of seeds to exit early, falling to Kimberly Birrell of Australia.

That loss turned Navarro back into a player who plays the week before a Slam, with the American heading to Adelaide for matches moreso than points. Things worked out better for Gauff: she played five United Cup matches and won all five, the last against Iga Swiatek of Poland, her longtime nemesis. That’s about the definition of match-ready.

GO DEEPER

How does Coco Gauff solve a problem like Iga Swiatek?

Matt Futterman

Shot of the week

Coco Gauff has tennis fans digging out their protractors with this one.

🏆 The winners of the week

🎾 United Cup:

🏆 USA def. Poland 2-0 to win the United Cup in Sydney. It is the country’s second United Cup title.

🎾 ATP:

🏆 Jiri Lehecka def. Reilly Opelka 4-1 (ret.) to win the Brisbane International (250) in Brisbane, Australia. It is his second ATP Tour title, both coming in Australia.
🏆 Alexandre Muller def. Kei Nishikori (WC) 2-6, 6-1, 6-3 to win the Hong Kong Open (250) in Hong Kong, China. It is his first ATP Tour title.
🏆 Joao Fonseca def. Ethan Quinn 6-4, 6-4 to win the Canberra International (Challenger 125) in Canberra, Australia. It is his second ATP Challenger title.

🎾 WTA:

🏆 Aryna Sabalenka (1) def. Polina Kudermetova (Q) 4-6, 6-3, 6-2 to win the Brisbane International (500) in Brisbane, Australia. It is her 18th WTA Tour title.
🏆 Claura Tauson (5) def. Naomi Osaka (7) 4-6 (ret.) to win the ASB Classic (250) in Auckland, New Zealand. It is the Dane’s third WTA Tour title.
🏆 Aoi Ito (7) def. Wei Sijia 6-4, 6-3 to win the Canberra International (WTA 125) in Canberra, Australia. It is her first WTA 125 title.

📈📉 On the rise / Down the line

📈 Mirra Andreeva moves up one place to a new career high of No. 15 after her run to the Brisbane International semifinals.
📈 Joao Fonseca ascends 32 spots from No. 145 to a new career high of No. 113 after winning the Canberra International.
📈 Polina Kudermetova moves up 50 places to a new career high of No. 57 after her run to the Brisbane International final.

📉 Andrey Rublev falls one place from No. 8 to No. 9, losing a key seeding slot for the Australian Open.
📉 Clara Burel drops four places from No. 99 to No. 103 to leave the top 100.
📉 Adrian Mannarino tumbles seven spots from No. 66 to No. 73 to drop out of the top 70.

📅 Coming up

🎾 ATP

📍Adelaide, Australia: Adelaide International (250) featuring Tommy Paul, Felix Auger-Aliassime, Sebastian Korda, Denis Shapovalov.
📍Auckland, New Zealand: ASB Classic (250) featuring Ben Shelton, Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard, Gael Monfils, Jakub Mensik.
📍Melbourne, Australia: Australian Open Qualifying featuring Joao Fonseca, Alexander Blockx, Learner Tien, Cruz Hewitt.

📺 UK: Sky Sports; U.S.: Tennis Channel 💻 Tennis TV

🎾 WTA

📍Adelaide, Australia: Adelaide International (500) featuring Jessica Pegula, Donna Vekic, Ons Jabeur, Emma Navarro.
📍Hobart, Australia: Hobart International (250) featuring Dayana Yastremska, Rebecca Sramkova, Maya Joint, Sofia Kenin.
📍Melbourne, Australia: Australian Open Qualifying featuring Alycia Parks, Aoi Ito, Polina Kudermetova, Eva Lys.

📺 UK: Sky Sports; U.S.: Tennis Channel

Tell us what you noticed this week in the comments below as the men’s and women’s tours continue.

(Top photo: Getty Images; design: Eamonn Dalton)

Sports

Raiders fire head coach Antonio Pierce

Published

6 hours ago

January 7, 2025

Press Room

The Las Vegas Raiders will be searching for another head coach this offseason, as they have reportedly let Antonio Pierce go after one full season, the team confirmed in a statement.

Pierce was retained as the team’s full-time head coach after taking over in an interim role for Josh McDaniels, who was fired midway through the 2023 campaign.

Raiders players showed more fight when he took over, and owner Mark Davis took that into account when conducting his head coaching search last offseason.

Raiders head coach Antonio Pierce reacts during the Los Angeles Chargers in Las Vegas, Sunday, Jan. 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)

However, after going 4-13 in a tumultuous season, the Raiders will be back on the hunt to find the right coach to continue the team’s rebuild.

“The Las Vegas Raiders have relieved Antonio Pierce of his duties as head coach,” the Raiders’ statement read. “We appreciate Antonio’s leadership, first as an interim head coach and this past season as the head coach.

“Antonio grew up a Raiders fan and his Silver and Black roots run deep. We are grateful for his ability to reignite what it means to be a Raider throughout the entire organization. We wish nothing but the best for Antonio and his family.”

WHO ARE THE 10 BEST RAIDERS PLAYERS OF ALL TIME?

Pierce spoke with reporters on Monday after the regular season came to an end, saying he hadn’t “heard anything different” about his status. He said his focus would be on improving as a head coach.

“What I need to do a better job of, I need to go with my gut,” Pierce said. “I was better at that last year. This year I didn’t do what I wanted to do as much as I wanted to do it.”

The Raiders have been a revolving door at head coach in recent seasons, with Jon Gruden resigning in 2021, followed by McDaniels getting fired after a season and a half.

Raiders head coach Antonio Pierce watches from the sidelines during the Kansas City Chiefs game, Oct. 27, 2024, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher)

Now, Pierce, who players like Maxx Crosby and Davante Adams (who was traded this past season to the New York Jets) gave the thumbs up to, will search for his next coaching opportunity.

Las Vegas joins a head coaching search with teams like the Chicago Bears, New York Jets, Jacksonville Jaguars and New England Patriots, who have already placed numerous requests for interviews to get the ball rolling on that front.

Top candidates that have been named are Detroit Lions OC Ben Johnson and DC Aaron Glenn, Pittsburgh Steelers OC Arthur Smith, former Tennessee Titans head coach Mike Vrabel and Tampa Bay Buccaneers OC Liam Coen.

Pierce’s coaching journey began in high school at Long Beach Poly (CA) before making the jump to college with Arizona State in 2018 as a linebackers coach and recruiting coordinator. He would work his way up to defensive coordinator and associate head coach with the Sun Devils before returning to the NFL to the Raiders.

Las Vegas Raiders head coach Antonio Pierce watches play against the Kansas City Chiefs during the second half at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium on Nov. 29, 2024. (Denny Medley-Imagn Images)

Pierce, a Super Bowl champion linebacker in his playing days with the New York Giants, was the Raiders’ linebackers coach in 2022 and held the same position before serving in his interim head coach role in 2023.

Follow Fox News Digital’s sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.

Scott Thompson is a sports writer for Fox News Digital.

Sports

News Analysis: With Gavin Lux gone, how Dodgers might deploy more versatile lineup in 2025

Published

6 hours ago

January 7, 2025

Press Room

News Analysis: With Gavin Lux gone, how Dodgers might deploy more versatile lineup in 2025

By removing a key piece from their personnel puzzle this week, the Dodgers roster picture might actually be somewhat clearer.

Gone is Gavin Lux, the homegrown infielder who, after years of trade speculation, was finally dealt to the Cincinnati Reds for a prospect and draft pick on Monday. What remains is a lineup trait the club desires most, having enhanced the “optionality” — as Dodgers brass likes to say — of a position player group that can now be mixed and matched next season in a number of new ways.

With Lux, the Dodgers lineup seemed somewhat cemented. He and Mookie Betts would’ve been up the middle at second base and shortstop, respectively. Freddie Freeman and Max Muncy would’ve played every day at the corner infield spots. And Michael Conforto, Tommy Edman and Teoscar Hernández would have been locked into the three outfield spots.

That was a potentially potent collection of talent.

But once the team landed Korean utility infielder Hyeseong Kim last week, they were suddenly limited in how they could deploy their vast arsenal of versatile weapons.

That’s why, even as general manager Brandon Gomes maintained public support for Lux in the wake of the Kim signing, a trade involving the former first-round pick — or one of the team’s other numerous middle infielder options — always appeared likely.

So, while the team will be sacrificing potential offensive upside in Lux, who came to life late last season in his return from a torn ACL, it is banking on the overall versatility of the roster instead, turning what once looked like a relatively defined lineup into much more of a blank canvas.

Come opening day, Freeman and Muncy will still be the corner infielders. Hernández and Conforto will still be in right and left, respectively. But up the middle, the team could toy around with different ideas, and experiment with myriad ways to maximize production.

So far this offseason, the team has remained committed to giving Betts an extended run back at shortstop, where he started last season before shifting to right field following his return from a broken hand. In a perfect world, Betts will continue to develop defensively into a legitimate everyday option at the position. But if he doesn’t, the club will now have a much simpler fall-back plan, capable of sliding him over to a second base position he has handled much more seamlessly in recent seasons.

In the meantime, Kim could take over Lux’s role at second base, at least as a platoon option against right-handed pitching. And if a need at shortstop arises later in the year, Kim could also contribute there — something the Dodgers seemed more hesitant to do with Lux, after his defensive struggles at the shortstop throughout his career.

Lux’s departure could also alter Edman’s role. Instead of being locked into an everyday spot in center, there might be more infield opportunities for the smooth-fielding utilityman, who served as the Dodgers’ primary shortstop in last year’s World Series run.

The knock-on effects won’t end there. Where second-year outfielder Andy Pages previously seemed boxed out of consistent playing time, he might now have a pathway to more regular at-bats against left-handed pitching. There is more playing time to go around for bench options like Miguel Rojas and Chris Taylor as well.

The cost of all this, of course, is the loss of Lux’s potentially dynamic bat. Though the former top prospect never consistently met the sky-high expectations that accompanied him over his five-year Dodgers tenure, he showed flashes of impact production near the end of last season, batting .304 with a .899 OPS over the second half of the season.

There might not be any one player to compensate for that, including Kim (whose bargain $4.2 million annual salary suggests uncertainties about how well his bat will translate to the majors).

And even if the Dodgers make another addition before the start of the season (a reunion with free agent Kiké Hernández, for example, seems more feasible than it did before Lux’s departure), any offensive gains the Dodgers make this year will likely have to come from the aggregate.

It’s a situation, however, the team is comfortable being in. For years, both their words and actions have emphasized the value they place on versatile players and optionality with their roster. And by dealing Lux, they’ve given themselves exactly that, making their 2025 team lineup more fluid, adaptable and interchangeable than it had looked before.