After a series loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves, the Los Angeles Lakers are entering a pivotal offseason where many changes are expected. While options are somewhat limited for the Lakers this summer, they still have some tradable assets left that they can use to tweak the roster around Luka Doncic.
“According to rival scouts and executives, the Lakers’ best assets (minus Reaves) are their 2031 first-round pick, second-year wing Dalton Knecht, and a bunch of expiring contracts,” reported Dan Woike of the LA Times. “Some combination of them would be a must in any deal the team would make for a center. The free-agency options, like the in-season trade options, are considered to be pretty lean.”
In the name of a championship pursuit, the Lakers have given up most of their picks and young players in exchange for win-now pieces like Anthony Davis, Rui Hachimura, and Jarred Vanderbilt. The Lakers gave up one of their final two remaining draft picks in the Luka Doncic trade, along with Anthony Davis and an emerging young shooting guard named Max Christie.
While the Lakers were able to build a competitive Western Conference team, it completely destroyed their roster flexibility, and now they only really have three tradeable assets going into the summer.
Since the Lakers are against trading Austin Reaves (with one major exception), their next best asset would be the 2031 first-round pick. It’s the last first-rounder the Lakers own, but it also holds a lot of value given the odds that it falls high in the draft. For a rebuilding team looking to hoard draft picks, the Lakers could make a very compelling offer if they’re willing to give up their future.
The Lakers nearly traded Dalton Knecht at the deadline, but he was sent back to Los Angeles after Rob Pelinka reneged on the deal. As the Lakers’ best young prospect, Knecht showed a lot of promise on the court with averages of 9.1 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 0.8 assists per game as a rookie. For his growing potential as an elite sharpshooter, Knecht would make an ideal addition for any young team willing to give him the time and space to develop his game.
The final major thing Los Angeles has to offer is players with expiring contracts, which might appeal to teams looking for financial flexibility. As it stands, only six players are signed beyond the 2025-26 season, meaning the Lakers could use an expiring contract to help sweeten any deal.
Ideally, the Lakers would use all of these assets to make one big trade offer, and it might just be enticing enough to start negotiations for a high-impact player. If not, the Lakers will be extremely limited in what they can do, and it’ll be unlikely to make a major difference.
After finishing third in the West this season, the Lakers did show some promise with their current roster, but the lack of a center and a reliable supporting cast around LeBron and Luka cost them in the playoffs, where they won just one game before their elimination.
To do right by their stars, the Lakers need to make a move, and that means they’ll have to give up what’s left of their most valuable assets. For their sake, the Lakers better hope that whatever they get in return can move the needle for them as contenders in the West.
