NBA Trade Rumors: Exploring a few realistic trade targets that should be on the Los Angeles Lakers radar after an uneven start to the season.
The Los Angeles Lakers stormed out of the gate, winning their first three games of the season. They’ve lost four of their last five and find themselves at a point in which they could greatly benefit from an in-season upgrade. At the very least, it has to be something the front office is already exploring.
The NBA Trade Deadline may still be three months away, but it’s never too early to begin hypothesizing about the possibilities that could await the Lakers on the trade market.
Even though it’s still early on in the season, there are a few things we already know about the Lakers. One, they are actively looking for a center.
They certainly need depth in the frontcourt and it’s hard to see a massive upgrade coming internally on this front.
They could also use another rotation guard or wing to help solidify the team’s depth heading into the stretch run. Operating around that, we can responsibly put together a list of realistic options that could be of interest to the Lakers via trade.
A few realistic trade targets for the Los Angeles Lakers
Duncan Robinson, Miami Heat
Even though the Los Angeles Lakers have shown some flashes of brilliance on the offensive end of the floor so far this season, if there’s one area offensively that the team could improve on, it’s 3-point shooting.
From a team perspective, the Lakers are in the bottom half of the league in 3-point shooting and as they attempt to make a move up the Western Conference standings, adding a shooter is never a bad idea.
With how the Miami Heat’s early season has gone, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Duncan Robinson hit the trade block.
Heading into the trade season, Robinson is essentially going to be viewed as an expiring contract. He does have a team option for next year, but that’s not guaranteed.
If the Lakers wanted to make a move for a shooter, and one that would be considered more of a rental than a future investment, Robinson could be the target. Robinson has struggled so far this season but part of that could be attributed to not having a defined role in Miami.
At this point in his career, a change of scenery. could pay off for Robinson. Maybe the Lakers are the right spot for the 30-year-old sharpshooter.
Zach Collins, San Antonio Spurs
Looking across the league, there may not be a great list of potential starting centers that the Los Angeles Lakers could trade for.
However, there’s one name in San Antonio that I believe could make at least some sense for Los Angeles.
That’s Zach Collins. No longer a full-time starter for the Spurs and in the midst of his least productive start throughout his time in San Antonio, Collins could be a name that suddenly becomes available closer to the NBA Trade Deadline.
Averaging less than 15 minutes per game, Collins could be ready for a fresh start at this point in his career.
With Victor Wembanyama looking like the next face of the league, it doesn’t make much sense for the Spurs to keep Collins around. He played his role last season with the Spurs next to Wemby and it does appear as if San Antonio may be ready to move on from the 26-year-old center.
If that does end up being the case, the Lakers, who are looking for a center who can start on occasion, are certainly a team to watch. The big concern would be the theoretical asking price from the Spurs. But if it is reasonable, perhaps there’s a deal to be made.
If the Lakers were able to pull off a move for Collins, he could emerge as a starter next to Anthony Davis or could even come off the bench. Just last season with the Lakers, Collins averaged 11 points, five rebounds, and three assists per game on 48 percent shooting from the field and 32 percent shooting from 3-point range.
As his role on the Spurs has decreased, so has his production. However, Collins still has the potential to be a productive player for a team. Perhaps that could be the Lakers.
While Collins could very much emerge as a legit option for the Lakers leading up to the NBA Trade Deadline, if there’s one hurdle that could stand in the way of it all coming together, it’s potentially the risk that comes with his injury history.
Over the course of his career, Collins has been subjected to the injury bug several times early on in his career. The good news is that it appears that is probably behind him at this point.
But that doesn’t mean it still won’t be in the back of the mind of any team looking to acquire him at the deadline.
Jonas Valanciunas, Washington Wizards
Continuing on the idea that the Los Angeles Lakers will strongly be pushing to add a potential starting center before the NBA Trade Deadline, I’m not sure how you can have this conversation without including Jonas Valanciunas.
As a player that the Lakers were reportedly interested in during the offseason before he ultimately signed with the Washington Wizards, it would be shocking if Los Angeles didn’t at least make a call to gauge the asking price if he did become available ahead of the NBA Trade Deadline.
Even though he isn’t a full-time starter with the Wizards this season, as they prioritize the development of Alex Sarr, Valanciunas has still managed to get off to a strong start individually.
In six games this season, Valanciunas is averaging 13 points, eight rebounds, and three assists per game on 56 percent shooting from the field. He may no longer be in the prime of his career anymore but to say that Valanciunas still doesn’t have value to add to a team like the Lakers would be foolish.
Schematically, Valanciunas could be considered a great fit next to Anthony Davis. If the Lakers are looking for a defensive-minded center who isn’t going to take much of the spotlight away from AD in the frontcourt, there may not be a better option than Valanciunas.
He doesn’t need the ball in his hands to be effective on the offensive end of the floor and still carries value as a defensive, hard-nosed presence.
And at 32 years old, you’d have to believe that Valanciunas is ready to sacrifice and embrace any role for a possible contender.
Add in the fact that Valanciunas is due just $10 million per season each of the next two years and this is a potential target that could become even more of a realistic possibility.
If the Wizards won’t be asking for much, there’s a good chance Los Angeles could easily meet the asking price leading up to the NBA Trade Deadline.
Ultimately, this could come down to whether there are any better options on the open market for the Lakers. But if they’re sold on finding a center, Valanciunas may be their best bet.
Dorian Finney-Smith, Brooklyn Nets
Even though the Brooklyn Nets have been slightly better than expected to begin the season, I can’t imagine much has changed when it comes to the team’s overall outlook for the year.
The Nets are still very much at a rebuilding stage and I’d be shocked if they didn’t emerge as sellers heading into the NBA Trade Deadline. Assuming that will still be the case, there’s a good chance that Dorian Finney-Smith will be one of the most sought-after targets at the deadline.
And if he’s available, the Los Angeles Lakers should at least make a call.
If the Lakers aren’t able to find a legit starting center to play next to Anthony Davis, finding a worthy two-way forward to help alleviate some of the pressure off his shoulders would be the next best thing.
For the Lakers, that could mean exploring the DFS trade market.
As one of the most underrated two-way power forwards in the league, DFS could be an intriguing addition to the team’s frontcourt before the deadline. DFS is off to another solid start to the year, averaging 11 points and five rebounds on 44 percent shooting from the field and 35 percent shooting from 3-point range.
DFS is the type of player that could theoretically fit in any system and one that will be an immediate help to the Lakers on both ends of the floor. At 31 years old, DFS could be ready to play for a contender.
And with all due respect to the start the Nets have gotten off to this season, Brooklyn is not in a position to emerge as a contender anytime soon.
Because of that, it’s only natural for the team to shop him leading up to the deadline. Any team with a need in the frontcourt should and likely will be in contact with Brooklyn.
Whether the Lakers could emerge from a potential bidding war remains to be seen. But there are reasons why they should be willing to meet the potential asking price of one future first-round pick and a potential young player.
The difficult part of trading for DFS is the fact that he has a player option for next season and likely that he’s going to opt out to try and get one more big payday before the end of his prime years in the league. In essence, most teams have to view DFS as a potential rental acquisition.
Marcus Smart, Memphis Grizzlies
At this point in the list, we get a bit more creative. There are certainly vast possibilities that the Los Angeles Lakers could end up exploring ahead of the NBA Trade Deadline.
But one underrated option that could hit the trade block at some point over the next couple of months is Memphis Grizzlies guard Marcus Smart.
He’s had an up-and-down stint with the Grizzlies over the past year and even with the team at full strength this season, his role is still very much in question. He’s currently sidelined with an injury but he’s yet to look comfortable with the team.
In five games played this season, Smart is averaging just six points and three assists per game on 24 percent shooting from the field and 17 percent shooting from 3-point range in less than 20 minutes per contest.
It’s absolutely an extremely small sample size but there are clearly some questions about his overall fit on the team. It would come at a surprise if the Grizzlies ended up trading him at the deadline but we have surely seen some stranger things take place in the league before.
I don’t think Smart being a trade deadline candidate can be completely discounted.
With a need to add more depth to their backcourt, Smart would make sense for the Lakers.
He’s the type of combo guard who could fit alongside Austin Reaves. He’d also help take some of the defensive pressure off the team’s backcourt.
Even though he is struggling with his offensive efficiency to begin the season, there’s reason to believe that Smart could still make waves in the rotation based on his playmaking ability and his versatility on the defensive end of the floor.
If the Grizzlies are looking to offload Smart over the next couple of months in anticipation of making another move at the NBA Trade Deadline, the Lakers could emerge as a potential landing spot for the former Defensive Player of the Year. At this point, there’s an argument to be made that Smart may not be a great fit in Memphis.
A fresh start, especially after his departure from Boston, could very much be in the cards for Smart in the not-so-distant future.
And, who knows, perhaps it will involve the Lakers.
Zach LaVine, Chicago Bulls
If the Los Angeles Lakers head into the NBA Trade Deadline season with the hope of landing a big-name star, there is one potential target who could make sense for the franchise.
That’s Zach LaVine. But before you yell at this idea in the comments, it’s only fair to hear out the argument.
For one, it should be noted that LaVine has done an amazing job at the start of this season to begin to build his trade value back up. At the very least, LaVine has proven that he could still be a productive player after a forgettable year.
Even though LaVine has been better of late, you’d still expect his market to be weak. That could open the door for a team to swoop in to snag him for an under-the-market price. Assuming the Bulls are still desperate to trade LaVine, this is something the Lakers could take advantage of.
The Lakers could add a star-level talent for a fraction of the price that they’re currently going for on the normal trade market.
If Los Angeles believes LaVine would be a good fit alongside LeBron James and Anthony Davis, this could be a steal of a move for the Lakers.
Of course, in order for the Lakers to be comfortable with such a move, they’d have to be sold on the idea that they are a LaVine move away from establishing themselves as a real contender in the Western Conference.
And to be quite honest, I’m not sure if the simple addition helps the Lakers accomplish that.
In a vacuum, LaVine is a productive player who could benefit from playing on a roster as talented as Los Angeles’ is. However, to say that he’d be the final piece of their championship puzzle may be flawed thinking.
To add even more concern to the idea of trading for LaVine, the fact that he’s due $93 million over the next two years after this season should give the Lakers even more pause toward pursuing such a deal.
Despite it all, one thing is for sure – LaVine will be available for the Lakers, or any team, that would like to make a big move at the NBA Trade Deadline. The question is, will any team be willing to actually pull the trigger this time around?
