The Los Angeles Lakers are simply playing terribly in the young 2022-23 NBA season. The Purple and Gold haven't been unable to beat their rivals in the first four games of the campaign, even though they've shown a competitive level, at least for a couple of quarters. 

After dropping to 0-4, everybody but LeBron James is worried about the current situation of the team. Still, LeBron keeps sending messages on social media, which can be considered a dig at the Lakers' front office, which is yet to make a big move to shake things up at Crypto.com Arena. 

Everybody is trying to find a solution to this Lakers issue, and one Western Executive dropped a big idea for the 17-time NBA champions, but they'll need to wait until next summer to make it a reality. 

Western Executive Names Two Interesting Targets For Lakers In Free Agency

Talking with Sean Deveney of Heavy, the executive dropped three names the Lakers could target in next year's free agency but focused more on two players that could make a bigger impact on the Lakers. 

“They should be smart and go for multiple players. Role players, guys like (Max) Strus, or bringing back Josh Hart and maybe going for Gary Trent (Jr.) if he opts out in Toronto. Strus will be a bargain next year, even though he’s been good in Miami, he will be undervalued,” the executive said.

The exec admits that Trent would be the best option for the Lakers, as he's the type of player the Lakers got rid of when they started experimenting with their roster. 

“Trent, though, he is probably the best fit for them. He is a really strong perimeter defender and he is such a good shooter—they have not had that kind of guy since they got rid of (Kentavious Caldwell-Pope) and Danny Green,” he added.

“Though, neither of those guys is the shooter Trent is. Trent might be out of their price range if they want to get two guys. Those are the guys they need, and if they could bring in more than one, that would be best for their situation.”

The Lakers are going through a rough moment right now, and nobody knows what they'll do to change that. Right now, nobody appears to be safe, as even LeBron has been named a potential trade chip by Stephen A. Smith. They could still target more stars next season, like Kyrie Irving, but not everybody thinks that move will do a big difference than having Russell Westbrook on the roster. 

Two years after winning the NBA championship in the infamous Orlando bubble, the Lakers are anything but a competitive team. They need to make some big changes if they want to return to the top of the league. According to recent rumors, they have targeted four players, but right now, a trade seems highly unlikely.