The Los Angeles Lakers are yet to make a trade in this 2024 offseason but it appears that’s not down to a lack of trying. According to Lakers Daily’s Anthony Irwin, GM Rob Pelinka has had six main trade targets this summer.
- Kyle Kuzma, Washington Wizards
- Jerami Grant, Portland Trail Blazers
- Bruce Brown, Toronto Raptors
- Cam Johnson, Brooklyn Nets
- Dorian Finney-Smith, Brooklyn Nets,
- Wendell Carter Jr., Orlando Magic
As for why Pelinka has not been able to pull off trades for either of the six, Irwin’s sources have given him two reasons. The first is that executives on the other side of the negotiating table have inflated the asking price. That’s apparently been done in the hope that they can take advantage of a Lakers front office that is coming under pressure to make at least one move.
The other reason is that D’Angelo Russell isn’t exactly seen as a valuable asset. According to Irwin, Grant’s Portland Trail Blazers have no interest in Russell while Kuzma’s Washington Wizards have some concerns about pairing him with Jordan Poole.
So, when the asking price for your targets is high and one of the players you have to trade away isn’t in demand, you end up in a situation where no deal has been made yet. Pelinka has to figure out a way to get one over the line, though, as he is being paid the big bucks for that very reason.
We have some ideas for how LA could pull off those moves. We came up with a realistic mock trade that sees Carter head to the Lakers. Rui Hachimura would be the one sent to the Orlando Magic in this scenario.
We also put together a mock trade where Kuzma and Lonzo Ball return to the Lakers. Pelinka would have to convince the Wizards to take Russell in this scenario, however.
Meanwhile, an NBA insider suggested a trade scenario where the Lakers land Grant and Robert Williams III. They’d have to give up a lot in this proposed move, though, and just like with the Wizards, would have to convince the Trail Blazers to acquire Russell as well.
I think of those six players, Grant would be the best acquisition. The 30-year-old averaged 21.0 points, 3.5 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 0.8 steals, and 0.6 blocks per game in the 2023-24 season and shot 40.2% from beyond the arc. The Trail Blazers reportedly want two first round picks for Grant, though, and the Lakers have to hope the asking price will go down at some point.
JJ Redick Wants The Lakers To Trade For A Big Man
With no trades having been completed, the most significant move that the Lakers have made this offseason has been hiring JJ Redick as their new head coach. Following his hiring, Redick stated the Lakers would love to acquire a big man.
“You certainly have to look at what I think is actually a very good roster, a very balanced roster. We’d love to, we tried, but we’d love to, at some point, get another five-man, a big bruising five-man.”
“You look at the Western Conference right now, whether it’s Denver, Minnesota, OKC with what they added, certainly Memphis, they’re going to be back in the hunt, they added Zach Edey, certain matchups in the playoffs, you’re going to need a lot of size.”
The Lakers do need another competent big. The likes of Jaxson Hayes and Christian Wood aren’t good enough to play significant minutes come playoffs and as Redick pointed out, the Lakers will need size against the top teams in the Western Conference. It would make sense then to pursue Carter and it’s a situation to keep an eye on.
Thank you for being a valued reader of Fadeaway World. If you liked this article, please consider following us on Google News. We really appreciate your support.
