The Los Angeles Lakers aren’t looking like major threats in the Western Conference this season. They’re hanging on around the top-six of the West with a 23-18 record, but they don’t look like real challengers to teams atop the Conference like the OKC Thunder or their rival Denver Nuggets. As the team’s stars are losing faith in their ability to improve the roster, Rob Pelinka can pull a rabbit out of his hat.
The Portland Trail Blazers are a tanking franchise who have already won too many games to secure top odds for the No. 1 pick. With the potential of teams ahead tanking and with the teams below already being bad, the Blazers might get squeezed out of the top five of the 2025 Draft. They need to consolidate for the future, and this Lakers trade offer might allow them to do exactly that.
Trade Details
Los Angeles Lakers Receive: Anfernee Simons ($25.8 million), Robert Williams III ($12.4 million), Toumania Camara ($1.8 million)
Portland Trail Blazers Receive: Rui Hachimura ($17.0 million), Gabe Vincent ($11.0 million), Jarred Vanderbilt ($10.7 million), Jalen Hood-Schifino ($3.8 million), 2031 First-Round Pick (LAL)
The Blazers have younger guards to prioritize instead of Simons, who’s rearing to play for a competitive basketball team again. Parting with him and Robert Williams to get one of the most valuable future picks in the NBA – Lakers’ 2031 pick – will be a phenomenal move. Meanwhile, the Lakers become a far better roster than they do right now.
Lakers Land Three Key Rotational Additions
This deal completely transforms the Lakers’ future prospects. The Blazers have a poor record by design but there is a lot of talent on their roster. However, these players aren’t good enough to be franchise cornerstones in Portland but they could be incredible role-players for contending teams around the NBA right now.
Anfernee Simons is averaging 18.2 points and 4.9 assists this season. The 26-year-old guard is still considered young, but the Blazers have a few more years of rebuilding to go through before they can be a regular Playoff threat. Robert Williams III is an end-of-the-rotation big that the Lakers could use to beef up their center spot, averaging 5.9 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 1.6 blocks this season.
Toumani Camara has been a breakout wing for the Blazers, averaging 9.5 points and 5.4 rebounds this season. The 24-year-old might not have a high ceiling and could thrive on a competitive team as a gritty role player.
This deal makes the Lakers a much more competitive team, potentially on the same level as a squad like the Nuggets. The Thunder are the best team in the West on paper, but the Lakers would be better equipped to challenge them with this core.
The Blazers Land A Valuable Pick
We just saw the Utah Jazz part with three mid-range first-round picks to land a highly valuable one from the Phoenix Suns in 2031. The Blazers don’t have the same excess of first-round picks the Jazz have, but they could severely upgrade the quality of their asset pool by making a similar deal for the Lakers 2031 pick given the aging core and leveraged future assets of the franchise.
In addition to the picks, the Blazers also get four players, with three potentially carrying positive value. Gabe Vincent will likely be a bench veteran who’d mentor the likes of Scoot Henderson and Shaedon Sharpe while being a solid tank commander. Jalen Hood-Schifino could be a future guard prospect whose value the rebuilding Blazers can uncover better than the contending Lakers.
Rui Hachimura is averaging 12.2 points and 5.2 rebounds this season, the only real rotational player in this deal. Jarred Vanderbilt is yet to play this season but is a multi-positional defender who is just 25 years old. There’s still untapped value here, which the Blazers can easily discover over the course of his affordable four-year contract.
The pick is the best asset, but additional deals that send Hachimura and Vanderbilt away could net them even more assets. Hood-Schifino could develop into a rotational contributor with an opportunity, something Portland can provide him.
Lakers Make Major Improvements With A Major Risk
This deal completely transforms the Lakers. They can feasibly run a starting five with Simons, Austin Reaves, LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and Robert Williams III or Dorian Finney-Smith. It gives them options with multiple frontcourt options, including Davis at the power forward alongside Williams or at center with LeBron, Finney-Smith, and Camara also on the court.
This makes them a proper Playoff-caliber team, essentially substituting one crucial rotational player for three players who might be able to surpass the other’s production. It’s a bold trade to make but it might be the most sustainable way for the Lakers to rejig their roster, as it lands them young stars who can keep the franchise competitive when LeBron and Davis inevitably start declining.
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