NBA insider Jake Fischer expects the Los Angeles Lakers to be a factor in the trade market in this 2024-25 season. During a live stream on Bleacher Report, Fischer stated D’Angelo Russell is on the trading block and added that Jonas Valanciunas and Brook Lopez are two big men the team has shown an interest in.
“The Lakers, I definitely think are a team that are going to be a factor in the trade market,” Fischer said. “… The trade things that we absolutely know to be true… D’Angelo Russell is going to be on the block and is going to be available as outgoing salary and roughly $20 million to play with there for the Lakers.
“And the center spot is a spot that we know Los Angeles has been looking to upgrade and will be looking to upgrade,” Fischer continued. “We mentioned Brook Lopez at the top of the show… He is someone that I was told was on the Lakers’ list of potential center targets and acquisitions this past summer.
“Jonas Valanciunas is another name I would keep an eye on for the future there, who is starting in Washington and signed a deal right around the mid-level exception that is very tradeable,” Fischer added. “And someone that I was told over the summer was on the Lakers internal board of center options.”
As Fischer pointed out, the Lakers have targetted Lopez and Valanciunas in the past and it will be interesting to see if they can get a deal over the line this season.
Lopez is averaging 9.3 points, 5.0 rebounds, 1.4 assists, 1.1 steals, and 2.0 blocks per game for the Milwaukee Bucks in 2024-25. The 36-year-old hasn’t shot the ball well from deep this season (26.2% from three) and struggles defending on the perimeter but remains an excellent shot blocker.
As for Valanciunas, he is averaging 13.3 points, 7.7 rebounds, 2.9 assists, 0.6 steals, and 0.6 blocks per game for the Washington Wizards. It was widely reported that LeBron James would have been willing to take a pay cut this past offseason if the Lakers could sign the Lithuanian, so it’s evidently someone he’d want on the roster as well.
If the Lakers fail to get a deal done for either Lopez or Valanciunas, I would expect them to acquire some other big man, as it has become clear at this point that they need one. The only bigs on that roster apart from Anthony Davis are Jaxson Hayes, Christian Wood, and Christian Koloko, and there are issues when it comes to all three.
For starters, Hayes is currently subject to an investigation by the NBA over a domestic violence incident. Even if there were no off-the-court issues, I felt they needed an upgrade over him as he hasn’t really impressed since he arrived in 2023.
Wood, meanwhile, underwent an arthroscopic surgical procedure on his left knee in September and it’s unclear when he’s going to be back. Koloko, on the other hand, was on the sidelines for over a year due to blood clot issues. He is currently playing for the South Bay Lakers in the G League and I don’t think is ready to play significant minutes in the NBA.
As for Russell, it was widely reported during the offseason that the Lakers were looking into trading him but failed to find a good deal. Unfortunately for them, the 28-year-old’s stock might be at an all-time low now, as he hasn’t gotten off to a great start to this season.
Russell is averaging 12.7 points, 2.2 rebounds, 5.4 assists, 0.9 steals, and 0.1 blocks per game in 2024-25. The one-time All-Star has also been moved to the bench now and it’ll be interesting to see if he does better in a new role and becomes a more valuable trade chip.
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