The NBA’s Feb. 5 trade deadline is a month away now, and the Los Angeles Lakers certainly need to make a move or two if they are to become serious title contenders. The Lakers’ biggest need is on the defensive end, and NBA insider Marc Stein reports that while they are looking to address it, there are a couple of issues here.
“League sources say that the Lakers continue to scour the trade market in hopes of acquiring a two-way wing with size before the Feb. 5 trade deadline.
“Two factors, though, continue to work against a trade.
“The market for such wings who can shoot from distance and defend remains quite limited, with New Orleans still resistant to trade interest in both Herb Jones and Trey Murphy III.
“It’s believed that the Lakers are only going to sacrifice their projected financial flexibility in the summer — which is expected to furnish them with the ability to make significant roster changes — only if they can acquire a real needle-mover at the position. Will such a player actually become available over the next four weeks and change?”
In short, there aren’t too many options available, and there are even fewer that the Lakers would be willing to sacrifice future flexibility for. Herb Jones might be one, but the New Orleans Pelicans aren’t showing any interest in parting with him.
One player alone can’t transform a team completely, but a defensive specialist like Jones would greatly improve the 22-11 Lakers on that end. They lack great athletic defenders, and that has led to them having a 117.6 defensive rating, which ranks 24th in the NBA.
You’re not going to win a championship when you’re that bad on one end of the floor. The very best teams in the NBA will inevitably get the better of the Lakers in the latter stages of the playoffs, even if the offense is rolling with Luka Doncic, LeBron James, and Austin Reaves. Of course, it doesn’t help matters that none of these three are great defensively.
So, if not Jones, then who? We came up with a mock trade that sees the Lakers bring in Andrew Wiggins from the Miami Heat. The issue here is that the Heat reportedly aren’t actively shopping Wiggins and haven’t been moved by anything Los Angeles has to offer.
The Lakers, of course, were linked to him back in the offseason, but it didn’t seem like a move ever even came close to materializing. Can a deal for Wiggins, who is averaging 16.1 points, 4.8 rebounds, 2.9 assists, 1.2 steals, and 1.1 blocks per game for the Heat in 2025-26, be gotten over the line in the coming weeks? Time will tell.
Another option that has come up lately is Phoenix Suns forward Dillon Brooks. You’d imagine the Suns wouldn’t be all too keen on parting with Brooks, though. They are 21-14 on the season, and it’s going to take a great offer to get him out of there. We put together three trade scenarios that see Brooks become a Laker.
The Suns might want even more, though, and you wouldn’t blame them. Brooks is averaging 21.4 points, 3.1 rebounds, 1.7 assists, 1.3 steals, and 0.1 blocks per game in 2025-26. His value has shot up.
We have also named some other 3-and-D players the Lakers could target. If they make the right moves, they will cause some serious headaches for the heavyweights in the West. If they don’t get the right players or don’t get anyone at all, another early playoff exit is on the cards.
