The Los Angeles Lakers are in a precarious position this season trying to juggle the present and future. These two trade ideas will help both situations.
The NBA trade deadline is fast approaching and there have been mixed reports about whether or not the Los Angeles Lakers front office wants to make a big deal or a minor trade. After observing the way Magic Johnson and Rob Pelinka like to operate for just about two years now, I think its very unlikely that they’ll make a big move before February 7th.
The new Lakers front office is smart enough to see that Golden State is practically unbeatable this year so they won’t make a deal that will help short term, but hinder the team over the long run.
With that said, if the right deal comes along that would help this season while still allowing the Lakers to go after a max free agent like Kevin Durant or Kawhi Leonard over the summer, I’m sure Magic and Pelinka wouldn’t hesitate to pull the trigger.
According to everything I’ve heard from the Lakers front office, here’s the way I think they view the players on the Purple and Gold:
There are only two players who are completely untouchable right now: Kyle Kuzma and LeBron James.
There are 3 players who are almost untouchable: Brandon Ingram, Lonzo Ball, and Ivica Zubac. Don’t trust all of the stories about how Ingram’s not a good fit and could be traded, or how Lonzo might be on the block.
Ball and Ingram are very young and have huge upside, it would be a shock if they got traded. Also, don’t sleep on Zubac, he’s 21 and already one of the best defensive centers in the NBA.
There are two players the Lakers don’t want to trade, but they would move if the right deal came along: Josh Hart and Moritz Wagner.
There are three players who the Lakers would definitely trade if the right deal surfaced: Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Lance Stephenson, and Michael Beasley.
Here are two trade ideas that would help the Lakers this season, but would still allow LA to chase a superstar over the summer.