The Los Angeles Lakers have missed on all their major offseason targets through the first week of free agency, watching Klay Thompson take less money to join the Mavericks before being spurned by Buddy Hield, who joined the Warriors. Even their primary head coach replacement, Dan Hurley, turned them down to stay in the NCAA.
Most major free agents have already found new homes around the NBA, with the Lakers unable to acquire any before relenting and giving LeBron James a supermax extension when the star waited for them to add talent and take a pay cut. The situation is what it is, and the Lakers could rectify it by acquiring two major talents to solidify their starting unit.
Trade Details
Los Angeles Lakers Receive: Brandon Ingram, Walker Kessler
Utah Jazz Receive: D’Angelo Russell, Maxwell Lewis, 2027 Second-Round Pick (LAL), 2030 Second-Round Pick (LAL)
New Orleans Pelicans Receive: Rui Hachimura, Jalen Hood-Schifino, Gabe Vincent, 2029 First-Round Pick (LAL)Â
The Pelicans have an abundance of self-creating scorers on their roster, with an addition like Rui Hachimura giving them a serviceable plug-and-play forward while adding young assets and a valuable unprotected Lakers first-round pick. The Jazz have been shopping Kessler and the Lakers could give them good value for the third-year center.
The Jazz Acquire Movable AssetsÂ
The Jazz are shopping Walker Kessler on the trade market after the impressive young center’s play-style limitations have caused the franchise to look elsewhere for a player in his position. In a deal to move Kessler, the Jazz could get great value from the Lakers who can use the big man to revert Anthony Davis back to being a power forward and creating a defensive twin-tower lineup to compete in the West.
D’Angelo Russell averaged 18.0 points and 6.3 assists last season, making him and multiple second-round picks a solid return, especially if the Jazz can acquire more assets by finding Russell a new home in the NBA. He’s on a tradeable expiring contract, so the Jazz could easily find a new home for him without the All-Star player return the Lakers demanded for Russell for most of last season.
Kessler has impressed defensively but struggling with major offensive limitations that have made it hard for him to remain playable. As the team rebuilds, the Jazz need to find a more defined big-man option for the future.Â
The Pelicans Add Balance To Their New Lineup
After the Pelicans acquired Dejounte Murray, it became obvious that Brandon Ingram’s future on the team was questionable. The Pelicans have an abundance of on-ball scorers with Ingram on the roster and C.J. McCollum also averaging over 20 points. McCollum is not movable due to his large contract and age, but Ingram has value even though he has an expiring contract.
Ingram’s play style has been hard to integrate for the Pelicans as they’ve become a better team, which means the star forward could benefit from a new situation. The Pelicans have already failed to come to terms on a new contract for Ingram, so trading him now could net a valuable return as compared to losing him for nothing next summer or for even fewer assets near the trade deadline.
Rui Hachimura won’t jump off the page as a star but has proven himself as a two-way switchable wing who can play across multiple positions. He averaged 13.6 points and 4.3 rebounds last season. The Pelicans’ team ethos has been to rely on players of Hachimura’s archetype, so fitting him into the roster won’t be a problem.Â
Getting a 2029 pick from the Lakers, likely after LeBron James and Anthony Davis’ time with the franchise could guarantee a lottery return for the Pelicans.
The Lakers Create A Fierce Starting Five
The Lakers know there are inherent problems with how their team is currently constructed after their failure last season. While it’s worth a shot to try and run it back under JJ Redick’s new philosophy, it wouldn’t make them a championship contender given how far off they were.Â
D’Angelo Russell is on an expiring contract and has had public disagreements with the franchise, so moving on from him is worth it, especially with how he ended his season. Hachimura has been a serviceable forward but the Lakers haven’t been able to give him a consistent role in two-and-a-half seasons. Jalen-Hood Schifino is a young star they can afford losing while Gabe Vincent is an expiring contract they’ve been trying to move.
Ingram averaged 20.8 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 5.7 assists last season, taking a step back offensively as the Pelicans got better as a unit until a Zion Williamson injury derailed them at the end of the season. Sending a 2029 pick for an expiring contract is risky, but the Lakers have to give up tangible value to acquire a former All-Star like Ingram.
On the Lakers, Ingram can be a star in his role with Davis and Kessler protecting the team defensively. LeBron will have to go back to being a point guard as Austin Reaves joins him in the backcourt to replicate the Lakers’ recipe from 2020 with Davis as a power forward and LeBron as a point guard.
The Lakers Acquire Stars To Battle In The West
This scenario does imagine wishful thinking on parts of the reasons the Jazz and Pelicans would accept these packages, but these should be the skeleton of what the Lakers need to do. They missed the boat on good value free agency signings early in the window, watching teams use up mid-level contract space to bolster their lineup while the Lakers become a second-apron team with the LeBron extension.
This deal carries risk with Ingram’s free agency, but a homecoming for the offensive wing on the Lakers could help him rediscover his value in the NBA. He’d have more space offensively and fewer responsibilities surrounded by LeBron and Davis, with Reaves becoming the team’s primary ball-handler.
The Lakers would also have lineup optionality, with Jarred Vanderbilt still on the squad. Max Christie will be thrust into a bigger role while rookie Dalton Knecht could shine as a shooter. The Pelicans can add usable pieces and possibly use the pick they receive to land a top-tier center to complete their roster, while the Jazz focuses on their rebuild.
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