The Los Angeles Lakers are expected to be among the most active teams heading into the Feb. 6 trade deadline. Rob Pelinka has already secured Dorian Finney-Smith\u2018s services via a four-player trade with the Brooklyn Nets.<\/p>\n
However, Finney-Smith appears to be the first part of the Lakers puzzle, with more pieces yet to be acquired. Adding a reliable big man is likely a priority for the front office.<\/p>\n
Both Jaxson Hayes and Christian Wood have struggled to remain healthy, and when healthy, neither has produced at a high level.<\/p>\n
In a recent trade proposal for Bleacher Report, Eric Pincus floated a trade idea that could improve the Lakers at multiple positions. Of course, they would be landing a high-level young big man to give JJ Redick someone to build around moving forward.<\/p>\n
Pincus\u2019s trade proposal looks like this.<\/p>\n
Lakers receive: Collin Sexton, Walker Kessler and Patty Mills<\/strong><\/p>\n Utah Jazz receive:<\/strong> Gabe Vincent, Christian Wood, Jalen Hood-Schifino, Cam Reddish, Jaxson Hayes, the removal of a top-four protection on the Lakers 2027 first-round draft pick, a 2029 first-round pick, a 2031 first-round pick, a $7.4 million trade exception and a $2.1 million trade exception.<\/p>\n \u201cL.A. would sacrifice active rotation depth in the deal with Reddish and Hayes out but would have the means to replace them soon after the deal with prorated minimum players,\u201d Pincus wrote as part of his reasoning. \u201cThe Lakers would also be out of movable first-round picks for the next couple of years, so the team would probably be out of the \u201cnext star who comes available in trade\u201d business for the foreseeable future.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n Sexton would be a strong addition to the Lakers roster. He\u2019s averaging 17.7 points, 2.8 rebounds and 3.9 assists per game this season.<\/p>\n Walker Kessler Would be The Highlight For Lakers\u2019<\/strong><\/p>\n Despite Sexton\u2019s proven scoring ability, Kessler would likely be the key part of Pincus\u2019s trade proposal. The rim-protecting big man would help unlock Anthony Davis. Furthermore, he\u2019s a low-usage player who makes an impact on defense.<\/p>\n His size and rebounding ability would give the Lakers a significant boost.<\/p>\n Kessler is also one of the best shot-blockers in the NBA. He\u2019s averaging 2.5 blocks per game this season. He hasn\u2019t averaged below two blocks in any of his three seasons in the NBA.<\/p>\n Furthermore, he\u2019s a high-level rebounder and has taken a significant jump on the glass this year. After 28 games, he\u2019s pulling down 11.5 boards per night.<\/p>\n Los Angeles has been linked with numerous bigs this season. Jonas Valanciunas and Nikola Vucevic are two potential targets. However, Kessler, 23, is young enough to be seen as a building block for the future. If the Lakers can clear some of their dead weight and land the shot-blocking big in the process, it\u2019s a deal they should explore.<\/p>\n Lakers Unlikely to Acquire Kessler<\/strong><\/p>\n Despite Kessler being an ideal target for the Lakers, it\u2019s unlikely they will bring him to Los Angeles ahead of the Feb. 6 deadline.<\/p>\n According to Dan Woike of the Los Angeles Times, the Jazz are unlikely to part ways with one of their best players.<\/p>\n \u201cWhile teams have expressed interest in Utah center Walker Kessler \u2014 the Lakers included \u2014 the belief in NBA circles is that he\u2019s not available in any realistic trade scenarios, Utah electing to keep one of the NBA\u2019s top rim protectors through the deadline,\u201d Woike reported on January 5.<\/em><\/p>\n However, if Pelinka offers a significant amount of assets, Danny Ainge may be tempted into a deal. Pincus\u2019s proposal sends draft picks and trade exceptions to Utah.<\/p>\n Both of those things would provide flexibility moving forward. Unfortunately for the Lakers, that may still be too small of an offering for the Jazz to part with their shot-blocking center.<\/p>\n Still, there\u2019s no harm in Pelinka kicking the tires to test the Jazz\u2019s willingness to entertain negotiations.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The Los Angeles Lakers are expected to be among the most active teams heading into the Feb. 6 trade deadline. Rob Pelinka has already secured Dorian Finney-Smith\u2018s… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":23900,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-23896","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nba"],"yoast_head":"\n