The Los Angeles Lakers have made one significant trade this season and could make another before the Feb. 6 deadline. If they do make another deal, it would appear unlikely that Rui Hachimura or Dalton Knecht would be on the way out. Bleacher Report’s Eric Pincus reports they are among six players considered untouchable.
“Competing executives have also told B/R that the Lakers (at least to date) have shown no interest in discussing trades that include Rui Hachimura or Dalton Knecht (or, obviously, LeBron James, Anthony Davis, Austin Reaves, Bronny James, etc.).”
The Lakers not wanting to discuss trades involving LeBron James, Anthony Davis, Austin Reaves, and Bronny James isn’t a surprise. LeBron and Davis are the best players on the team and Bronny is going nowhere as long as his father is around. Reaves, meanwhile, has seen his name pop up in rumors from time to time but the Lakers have reportedly been unwilling to include him in trades.
Hachimura and Knecht now being part of this group is quite interesting but not all too surprising. They’ve both impressed at various points this season.
Hachimura, who is in the second year of a three-year, $51 million deal, is averaging 12.1 points, 5.3 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 0.9 steals, and 0.6 blocks per game for the Lakers in 2024-25 while shooting 42.2% from beyond the arc. Head coach JJ Redick seems to have taken a liking to the 26-year-old, as he is one of four players on the team to start every game they have been available for.
As for Knecht, he has somewhat hit the rookie wall now but we saw enough from him earlier in the season to know he is someone the Lakers need to hold on to. The 23-year-old is averaging 9.7 points, 3.4 rebounds, 1.0 assists, 0.4 steals, and 0.1 blocks per game in 2024-25 after being selected with the 17th pick of the 2024 NBA Draft.
If the Lakers insist on keeping hold of all six of these players, though, then it might be safe to say we shouldn’t expect a big move before the deadline. The likes of Gabe Vincent, Jarred Vanderbilt, Christian Wood, and Jalen Hood-Schifino appear to be ones they’re open to parting with and they won’t get a star for them, even if they include some of the first-round picks they can trade.
The Lakers could make a smaller but smart move, though, like when they acquired Dorian Finney-Smith and Shake Milton from the Brooklyn Nets for D’Angelo Russell, Maxwell Lewis, and three first-round picks. They had lacked an elite 3-and-D wing for years and addressed that issue by landing Finney-Smith.
The other big issue for the Lakers this season has been not having a capable big man apart from Davis. As a result, they have been linked to quite a few centers like Jonas Valanciunas, Nick Richards, and Robert Williams III. The Lakers would take a step in the right direction if they are able to get in a quality big man and it will be interesting to see if they are able to get a deal done in the coming weeks.
For now, though, the 20-15 Lakers have to work with what they have. They take on the Dallas Mavericks next at American Airlines Center on Tuesday at 7:30 PM ET.
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