Another prominent attackman is on the move as Chaos LC has traded Connor Fields to Archers LC in exchange for midfielder Ian MacKay.
Fields in coming off a disappointing PLL Championship Series that saw him tally only 7 points (6 G, 1 A). The Albany alum saw his playing time steadily decrease over tournament play a did not find the field in the the Chaos’ playoff run. The bubble performance was in stark contrast to Fields’s 2019 campaign that saw him named a finalist for Attackman of the Year after scoring 36 points (24 G, 12 A) in PLL’s inaugural season.
What are your thoughts on the big blockbuster? https://t.co/WiIOTxUTzk
— Lacrosse Playground (@LaxPlayground) February 25, 2021
Coach Chris Bates will look for Fields to bounce back as he joins an already potent Archers’ attack grouping of Marcus Holman, Will Manny and Grant Ament. Fields will look to compliment the trio that accounted for over a third of the Archers’ goals in bubble play.
The Chaos in return receive Ian MacKay, who had a modest five points in the PLL Championship Series. The trade reunites MacKay with several of his teammates on the Buffalo Bandits including Josh Byrne, Dhane Smith and the recently signed Chase Fraser. MacKay should fit in well in an offense that features a heavy box lacrosse influence.
While trading MacKay for Fields straight up feels a bit lopsided considering Fields is just a year removed from an MVP-caliber season, Coach Andy Towers probably had little leverage in trading the star with protected rosters due and an expansion draft approaching. Clearly, Andy Towers did not want to use a protected spot on a player he was planning on trading. While moving Fields was a priority, it’s interesting that Towers wasn’t able to free up a protected spot (assuming he uses one on the newly-acquired MacKay) or increase his draft capital.
"It'd be irresponsible to not protect two of the best players in the world…maybe Coach [Towers] is working behind the scenes to make a trade."
— Pro Lacrosse Talk (@ProLacrosseTalk) February 25, 2021
On #ProLacrosseTalk, the crew discusses protecting Dillon Ward or Connor Fields if you can't trade them before the expansion draft.
Time will tell how the trade pans out for both teams, but it is clearly a win for Connor Fields who can expect to once again see the field (no pun intended) and factor into an offense where he can be used either from X or in the Archers’ wing pairings, without the pressure of being THE guy on offense. With the Archers able to roll out an offense that features a combination of Tom Schreiber, Grant Ament, Marcus Holman, Will Manny and now Connor Fields, it appears that the rich get richer.
What are your thoughts on the second blockbuster deal of the PLL offseason? Let us know in the comments or on social media.
