The Los Angeles Lakers are going to look to improve the roster from last season after the team fell short in the NBA Playoffs. While injuries were mostly to blame for the first-round exit, it is clear that this roster can get better.
There are also a lot of unknowns for the Lakers. Several players are free agents this offseason, whether they be restricted, unrestricted or have player options. The Lakers may not have a say in the matter, the roster next season seems bound to be much different, anyway.
The team is not in the best financial situation with the salary cap so they are not going to be able to spend big in free agency. However, they could still improve the team with the money they have, swapping the assets they have for better assets that are more talented or fit the team better.
If there is one group of teams that are going to be more willing to make a trade it is the non-playoff teams from last year. Some will climb the NBA ladder next year but most have trade assets.
There is one player on each non-playoff team that the Los Angeles Lakers can target.
Of course, there is naturally only going to be one or two trades for the Lakers this offseason, so we may only see one of the players on this list actually in talks to be traded to LA. However, at the end of the day, it is Rob Pelinka’s job to call other teams and gauge the market.
Here is one player from each non-playoff team that the Los Angeles Lakers should inquire about trading for.