Los Angeles Lakers: Ranking the 3 most valuable trade chips
By Jason Reed
The Los Angeles Lakers were disappointingly eliminated in the first round of the 2021 NBA Playoffs by the Phoenix Suns. While the Suns ended the Lakers’ season far earlier than anyone expected, they did give the purple and gold a head start on the offseason.
It may have been a blessing in disguise. Not only do the players get time to recover and get healthy, which is very important after what happened this season, but Rob Pelinka has more time to fully dive into the offseason and how LA will navigate.
The Lakers are not in the best spot when it comes to improving. The team is very tied financially and has several players that could outright walk away this offseason. The team is going to have to get creative and that includes a trade (or two).
But who are the most valuable trade chips on the Los Angeles Lakers?
As it stands right now, I would only give three players on the roster the distinction of being legitimate trade chips. Someone such as Alfonzo McKinnie could be thrown into a deal but he is not someone who is going to make or break a trade.
There are multiple factors to consider when we are talking about the value of a trade chip. Let’s break those down as we rank the Lakers’ three trade chips by value.