The Los Angeles Lakers need to reshape their roster this season and give the LeBron James and Anthony Davis duo a final shot at success after putting together poor rosters over the last three seasons. The team hasn’t made a trade since February 2023, and it seems like they’re headed towards making one this season as indicated by The Athletic’s Jovan Buha, who laid out what the team needs and who they’re targeting.
Buha laid out the three main team needs the Lakers have identified internally.
“A tough, physical, defensive-minded center. A big 3-and-D wing who complements Davis and James as a starter/closer. A big, quick, athletic guard with point-of-attack defensive capabilities.”
The first major name the Lakers are targeting is Washington Wizards center Jonas Valanciunas, who’s been on the team’s radar since the summer.
“The buzziest name in league circles, who’s been attached to the Lakers dating back to the summer, is Washington Wizards center Jonas Valanciunas ($9.9 million salary this season). He checks the box of a big, bruising, physical center, though his defensive mobility is limited and he can be targeted on that end (as the Lakers did twice in high-stakes games to close the 2023-24 regular season and in the Play-In game).”
The Lakers are also expected to heavily pursue Dorian Finney-Smith and Cam Johnson of the Brooklyn Nets after the New York-based team moved off Dennis Schroder for multiple second-round picks.
“After trading Schroder, Brooklyn is expected to make wings Cam Johnson ($22.5 million but with a likely cap hit of $27 million) and Dorian Finney-Smith ($14.9 million) available — and much sooner than the Feb. 6 deadline. Both have been tied to the Lakers for months. The Lakers have been interested in Finney-Smith for at least a couple of years.”
While Valanciunas, Johnson, and Smith seem like the primary trade target for the Lakers, the franchise has a much larger list, including various other role-players from tanking teams while steering away from any star acquisition.
“Names that have come up in talks with team and league personnel over the past few weeks include Utah’s Walker Kessler and Collin Sexton, Toronto’s Bruce Brown Jr., Portland’s Jerami Grant and Robert Williams III, and Washington’s Kyle Kuzma. The Lakers are not anticipated to be heavily in the mix for Miami’s Jimmy Butler, New Orleans’ Brandon Ingram, or Chicago’s Zach LaVine.”
There are a lot of movable players as we head closer to the trade deadline this season. But it’s hard for every player to be worth a first-round pick, so the Lakers could find creative ways of landing reinforcements without hurting their long-term assets.
Schroder just went for three second-round picks in the midst of a career season, so these other players shouldn’t carry a traditional first-round value, especially if they’re receiving expiring contracts.
D’Angelo Russell will likely be in every Lakers trade offer as an $18 million expiring contract, so if the Warriors can use an injured $11 million from De’Anthony Melton to land a considerable upgrade with Schroder, there are ways for the Lakers to get better this trade season.
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