The Los Angeles Lakers didn’t wait for the NBA trade deadline to start updating their roster. They’ve already landed Washington Wizards forward Rui Hachimura, but we all know they’ll need a few more figures to get into the playoffs. The team’s General Manager Rob Pelinka is definitely busy looking at the Lakers’ 2023 trade deadline targets and we’re here to share our thoughts on that.
The Lakers’ trade deadline is set for 2023
The NBA’s trade deadline is February 9 and the Lakers’ trade options are one of the hottest topics in the league right now.
In the following lines we give our Lakers trade ideas that will definitely shake up the roster and help LeBron James lead this team to the playoffs. So let’s look at the Lakers’ trading options in the final week before the NBA close.
cops
Just like the Lakers, the Chicago Bulls are a team that has underperformed so far this season. There are many reasons for this, from Lonzo Ball’s absence all season to some personal issues within the team. Just a few weeks ago it was reported that there were several players on the team who didn’t get along with Zach LaVine.
The high-flying shooting guard was placed on the trade block and is high on the Lakers’ list of trade targets for 2023. LaVine would be a great fit for the Lakers as he can score from both the inside and the outside, and he endeavored to do so Also very excited to come to LA where he played college basketball at UCLA.
The only problem for the Lakers is that in return they have to send Anthony Davis to the Bulls. Yes, that sounds a little crazy, but the fact of the matter is that Davis missed 42 games last season plus the playoffs and 23 this season so far and the Lakers can’t really count on him. Knowing Davis is from Chicago makes this trade more likely than you think.
spores
The potential trade scenario with the San Antonio Spurs does not involve star players coming to LA, but will most likely form a Lakers playoff team. The Lakers would have to send Russell Westbrook to the Spurs in exchange for Josh Richardson, Doug McDermott and Jakob Poeltl.
Richardson is in his eighth season in the league and has valuable five-team experience. He’s a good two guard who can be useful on both ends of the ground. McDermott is one of the best spot-up shooters in the league, shooting 41% from the three-point line in his career. Poeltl is a solid center averaging 12 points and 9 rebounds this season and he’ll have good minutes in LA.
When it comes to the Spurs, they’re in the process of rebuilding, trying to get a high draft pick and will have a huge salary cap room when Westbrook’s contract expires this summer.
Pistons
As of the deadline, Bojan Bogdanovic is one of the best available players. He is the Detroit Pistons’ top scorer this season, averaging 21.2 points per game on 41.2% shooting from deep. The Lakers desperately need a three-point shooter on their roster as they rank 26th in the league in that category.
The Croatian recently signed a contract extension with the Pistons and the Lakers will be without Patrick Beverley and Lonnie Walker IV to bring in Bogdanovic. This trade makes sense as Dennis Schroder is playing well at point guard and the Lakers brought in Hachimura who will take Walker’s place anyway.
wood wolves
Trade rumors surrounding D’Angelo Russell are causing a stir and the Timberwolves point guard may return to the team he began his NBA career with. The Lakers picked him with the second pick of the 2015 NBA draft but traded him in his sophomore season. Since then, Russell has moved through Brooklyn and the Golden State to find himself in Minnesota.
This season, he’s started in all games for Wolves, averaging 17.8 points and 6.2 assists while shooting 39% from deep. Russell appears poised to take the Lakers’ starting point and be a dangerous weapon on their offense. To get him, the Lakers would have to say goodbye to Russell Westbrook, who’s been heading for the exit door for quite some time.
Aside from Russell, the Lakers would get Kyle Anderson in the deal. Anderson is a versatile 6-9 forward who can do anything on the pitch. He’s a little slow for today’s game, but he’s a great passer, shooting 44.8% from the three-point line this season.
pacemaker
The potential trade scenario with the Indiana Pacers was also raised last season, and perhaps this is the right time to actually go ahead with the deal. Again, Westbrook is the player who has to go, and in return, the Pacers send Buddy Hield and Myles Turner to Los Angeles. This would be an excellent deal for the Lakers as they get two players ready to start in the starting lineup.
Buddy Hield is a great shooter that can both create for yourself and be a spot-up shooter. He’s shooting 42.7% from deep this season and that percentage would go up if he shared the spot with James and Davis.
Turner, who twice led the league in blocks, would take care of the color and allow Davis to play at the power forward position.
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