The NBA’s Feb. 5 trade deadline is just over a week away, and the Los Angeles Lakers are certainly a team that could do with some upgrades. As for who they are looking at, the Los Angeles Times’ Broderick Turner reports that six players have been linked to the Lakers.
“From talking to NBA executives and scouts who were not authorized to speak publicly on the matter, the most likely scenario for the Lakers is to make moves along the margins. NBA people say the Lakers are looking for big wing players, but they said so is most of the league.
“According to some of those NBA folks, the names that have been attached to the Lakers as potential trade targets are Dallas’ Naji Marshall, a former Doncic teammate, Cleveland’s De’Andre Hunter, Minnesota’s Donte DiVincenzo, and Sacramento’s Keon Ellis. New Orleans’ [Trey] Murphy III and Herbert Jones are two players the Lakers have shown some interest in — as have many other teams — but NBA people say the asking price is so high that teams are waiting to see if that comes down by the deadline next week.”
New Orleans Pelicans‘ Herb Jones is a player the Lakers have long been reportedly interested in. The asking price, though, would be too much for them, as they can only trade one first-round pick at the moment. Trey Murphy III would also command more draft capital, so these two are unlikely to be Lakers before the deadline. As for the rest, they are more realistic targets to varying degrees.
Naji Marshall has impressed for the Dallas Mavericks in 2025-26, averaging 14.7 points, 4.9 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 1.1 steals, and 0.1 blocks per game. Marshall is viewed as a quality 3-and-D wing, although he is shooting only 30.6% from beyond the arc. At the very least, he will improve the Lakers defensively, and he doesn’t appear to be off the table in trade talks.
Next, we get to De’Andre Hunter, who is averaging 13.8 points, 4.3 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 0.6 steals, and 0.1 blocks per game for the Cleveland Cavaliers. Hunter isn’t quite the defender that Marshall is, but he has been the better scorer over the years. It’s unclear if he is available for trade, though.
Like Hunter, you do wonder if the Minnesota Timberwolves would make Donte DiVicenzo available. DiVincenzo is averaging 13.4 points, 4.6 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 1.3 steals, and 0.5 blocks per game in 2025-26. He is a solid do-it-all guard, and with the Timberwolves not having too many quality options in that backcourt, they might not want to part with him.
As for Keon Ellis, the Sacramento Kings are reportedly open to moving him and some others. Ellis is averaging 5.4 points, 1.3 rebounds, 0.6 assists, 1.1 steals, and 0.5 blocks per game for the Kings in 2025-26. He’s the kind of 3-and-D guard that every team could use, and is very much a man in demand.
How would the Lakers acquire any of these? Well, Turner says Rui Hachimura is the name that has been brought up.
“To make any of these deals, the NBA executives and scouts said, Lakers forward Rui Hachimura and his expiring $18-million contract is a name that comes up often as a tradeable player. Hachimura’s recent outstanding play has increased his trade value around the league, but it also has made the forward a very valuable player for the Lakers.”
Hachimura is averaging 12.5 points, 3.6 rebounds, 0.9 assists, 0.6 steals, and 0.3 blocks per game in 2025-26. He racked up 23 points off the bench against the Chicago Bulls last time out on Monday, and his stock is going up. Hachimura is going to be a free agent in the summer, and if the Lakers do not plan on keeping him long-term, then trading him now when his value is high would be the best course of action.
