The Los Angeles Lakers are expected to be one of the more active teams as the highly anticipated Feb. 6 NBA trade deadline approaches. The Lakers have been linked to many of the top names on the trading block.

They won’t be able to get every single name, but the expectation is that they will make a big trade or two or maybe even three to bolster their roster. It is not only a want but a need for the Lakers.

This trade proposal sees Los Angeles acquire one of the top-scoring guards in the league from their division rivals, the Sacramento Kings. Kings guard Malik Monk heads back to Los Angeles in exchange for Lakers guard D’Angelo Russell, guard Jalen Hood-Schifino, and a 2031 first-round pick.

Lakers receive: Malik Monk Kings receive: D’Angelo Russell, Jalen Hood-Schifino, and a 2031 first-round pick. Monk returns to L.A. in this trade proposal.

The 26-year-old spent one year in L.A. during the 2021-22 campaign when the Lakers had one of the worst seasons since LeBron James first arrived in Southern California.

The Kings have had a disappointing start to the 2024-25 season, so much so that they fired their head coach, Mike Brown. After winning the Coach of the Year award in 2022-23 and leading the helm to a 107-88 record in two-plus seasons in Sacramento, with a winning record in both of his full seasons, the Kings decided to part ways with him.

The Kings are experiencing a great deal of turmoil, and if they continue down this road, don’t be surprised if they become sellers before the trade deadline.

Brown’s firing comes as the Kings are mired in their longest losing streak since Jan. 2022-with all five losses coming at home. As of Saturday, Sacramento is 13-18 and three games back from earning a berth in a play-in game. While that is the case, Monk has been great for the struggling Kings.

He is averaging 15.7 points per game, 3.5 rebounds, 4.7 assists, and 0.8 steals while shooting 44 percent from the field and 35 percent from three in 24 games and 29.7 minutes of action.

In this hypothetical trade, the Lakers get a massive scoring boost while giving up pieces that have proven to be replaceable.

The top piece in this scenario is Russell. The veteran guard has struggled to find a home in his career but has proven to be valuable to any team he lands.

However, for the Lakers, he has yet to play his best basketball when it counts, and because of that, he will be the main trading piece for any potential trade the Lakers will look to do.