NBA Trade Rumors: Lakers most ‘realistic’ deadline targets have been revealed

NBA Trade Rumors: Lakers most ‘realistic’ deadline targets have been revealed.

NBA Trade Rumors: The most ‘realistic’ trade deadline targets for the Los Angeles Lakers have been revealed by an insider.

 

Over the last few weeks, the Los Angeles Lakers have begun to tumble down the Western Conference standings. They’ve lost eight of their last 12 games and at this point, it may take a significant move at the NBA Trade Deadline to help salvage the Lakers’ season. Los Angeles is clinging to the 10th seed in the Western Conference standings and with every passing loss, they continue to dig themselves into a deeper hole.

As a likely buyer at the trade deadline, the big question is what type of move could be on the table for the Lakers to make. In attempting to answer that question, Lakers reporter Jovan Buha of the New York Times identified three players who should be considered the most “realistic” of targets for the team at the deadline. Those players are Jonas Valanciunas, Cameron Johnson, and Dorian Finney-Smith.

 

All of those players have been linked to the Lakers of late and it wouldn’t be surprised if they ended up with any of them. And if the Lakers did manage to pull off a move for a couple of them, it would make for a pretty successful trade deadline for the team.

The big question for the Los Angeles Lakers heading into the trade deadline

Ultimately, whether the Lakers make a big move or not at the trade deadline will come down to how aggressive the team is willing to be when it comes to including future assets. There are two key assets that I’m interested to see if Los Angeles is willing to include in trade discussions. The first is Austin Reaves. In the past, the Lakers have been hesitant to include him in trade talks. I can’t help but wonder if that sentiment has changed recently.

The second is their 2029 or 2031 first-round pick. The Lakers could trade both if they wanted but even just including one could be the difference in the team hammering down a deal and not. If Los Angeles is truly aggressive heading into the deadline, expect to see all of these assets on the table in the coming weeks. It can be the true indicator if they honestly believe if their championship window is still open or not.

 

The next month or so will be interesting to watch unwind for the Lakers. There’s a strong argument to be made that their future will be dictated by what they end up doing at this year’s NBA Trade Deadline. If I had to guess, I’d expect a pretty big move from the Lakers at the deadline. Whether it will be enough to significantly move the needle for the team this season remains to be seen.