The Los Angeles Lakers are expected to be busy in the trade market this season as they look to bolster their roster and become serious title contenders. The Lakers have been linked with a handful of names recently, and ClutchPoints’ NBA insider Brett Siegel has shared some interesting updates on them and some other potential targets.
One player who has been linked with the Lakers for years is Kyle Kuzma and Siegel reports that executives around the league expect the Washington Wizards to be more willing to trade him before the deadline. The Wizards are currently at the bottom of the East with a 3-21 record and are in total rebuild mode.
The 29-year-old Kuzma doesn’t fit the Wizards’ timeline at this point and while they value his leadership, they’re open to a parting of ways. They might have made a mistake by not shipping him last season, though.
Kuzma averaged a career-high 22.2 points per game in 2023-24, but his numbers have dipped in 2024-25. He is currently putting up 15.8 points, 5.6 rebounds, 1.9 assists, 0.4 steals, and 0.3 blocks per game for the Wizards and his value has surely dipped a bit because of it.
Still, Siegel reports that Kuzma “holds a strong market” as a secondary player who is capable of leading the offense at times. He did that for the Lakers in his four seasons with them from 2017-18 to 2020-21.
Michael Scotto of HoopsHype reports that the Lakers have been in the Kuzma market over the last year and now might well be their best chance to reunite with the forward. We came up with a mock trade that would see both Kuzma and Lonzo Ball return to the Lakers and it would be quite something if they pull it off.
While the Lakers certainly could use Kuzma’s offense, what they need even more is some defense and that’s where Marcus Smart comes in. According to Siegel, they are one of four teams along with the Golden State Warriors, Houston Rockets, and Orlando Magic to have checked in on Smart dating back to the start of the offseason.
Smart hasn’t had a great 2024-25 season for the Memphis Grizzlies, averaging 9.3 points, 2.4 rebounds, 4.0 assists, 1.4 steals, and 0.4 blocks per game. The 30-year-old has even been demoted to the bench, but the Grizzlies are still not showing an interest in trading him. League personnel wonder if he would be available at the right price, though.
The Lakers certainly should look into adding Smart if the price is right. The former DPOY would be a huge upgrade on the defensive end in their backcourt and would help solve one of their biggest problems at this point.
Another big problem for the Lakers has been not having another quality big man on the roster next to Anthony Davis. They were looking to sign Jonas Valanciunas in free agency and Siegel reports he is at the top of their list of targets.
Valanciunas is averaging 12.0 points, 7.6 rebounds, 2.2 assists, 0.3 steals, and 0.8 blocks per game for the Wizards in a backup role in 2024-25. The 32-year-old would be a quality addition and the Lakers are reportedly willing to give up D’Angelo Russell and a couple of second-round picks for him.
According to Anthony Irwin of ClutchPoints, another way the Lakers are reportedly looking to land Valanciunas is by offering Gabe Vincent and second-round picks. They would also look to attach one of Jaxson Hayes, Christian Wood, or Cam Reddish in this deal in order to get some more financial flexibility.
Scotto also reported that the Lakers will look to offer Vincent and second-round picks for Valanciunas. This does seem to be something that will be on the table at some point and the only question is whether the Wizards feel they’re getting enough for the big man.
Valanciunas and Kuzma aren’t the only Wizards players the Lakers have looked at. Siegel reports Malcolm Brogdon, who is averaging 13.8 points, 4.3 rebounds, 2.6 assists, 0.4 steals, and 0.3 blocks per game in 2024-25, is a name that has come up in connection with the team in league circles.
To go with this Wizards trio and Smart, Siegel states the Lakers also have an interest in Robert Williams III, Dorian Finney-Smith, Cam Johnson, Nick Richards, and Bruce Brown. Internal discussions have been held on them dating back to the start of the season.
Williams is averaging 9.4 points, 5.6 rebounds, 1.4 assists, 1.0 steals, and 1.6 blocks per game for the Portland Trail Blazers in 2024-25. He would be an upgrade at that backup big slot, as would Richards, who is averaging 10.6 points, 9.7 rebounds, 1.6 assists, 0.5 steals, and 1.7 blocks per game for the Charlotte Hornets.
Johnson, meanwhile, is the kind of sharpshooter that the Lakers need. He is averaging 18.5 points, 4.4 rebounds, 2.9 assists, 0.9 steals, and 0.5 blocks per game for the Brooklyn Nets in 2024-25 while shooting 43.1% from beyond the arc. We came up with two different mock trades that see Johnson end up with the Lakers.
Johnson’s Nets teammate Finney-Smith is also in the midst of a fine season, averaging averaging 11.1 points, 4.3 rebounds, 1.7 assists, 1.0 steals, and 0.6 blocks per game in 2024-25. He is an excellent 3-and-D player and the Lakers could certainly use him.
Brown is another quality 3-and-D player but he is yet to play for the Toronto Raptors this season as he is recovering from a knee injury. The Lakers have reportedly been interested in him for over a year and they might just be able to get him at a cheaper price now.
That’s a lot of players that the 14-12 Lakers have looked at and it will be interesting to see if they are able to land any of them. For the here and now, though, the focus will be on the next game, which is against the Sacramento Kings at Golden 1 Center on Thursday at 10 PM ET.
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