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3 shooters that the Los Angeles Lakers could actually trade for

By Jason Reed

MINNEAPOLIS, MN - OCTOBER 19: Darius Bazley #55 of the Oklahoma City Thunder celebrates a play against the Minnesota Timberwolves in the second quarter of the game at Target Center on October 19, 2022 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Timberwolves defeated the Thunder 115-108. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by David Berding/Getty Images)
MINNEAPOLIS, MN - OCTOBER 19: Darius Bazley #55 of the Oklahoma City Thunder celebrates a play against the Minnesota Timberwolves in the second quarter of the game at Target Center on October 19, 2022 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Timberwolves defeated the Thunder 115-108. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by David Berding/Getty Images) /
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The Los Angeles Lakers are looking to make some kind of splash during the season to improve the team’s chances of winning a championship. That splash might not include trading Russell Westbrook but the front office has still been hard at work.

Shams Charania of The Athletic reported on Monday that the Lakers have discussed trade packages for Detroit’s Bogan Bogdanovic and that the team is interested in bringing in shooters via trade.

Unfortunately, the Bogdanovic dream quickly died when Marc Stein reported that the Pistons are not willing to trade Bogdanovic for a protected first-round pick and that the Lakers would have to trade a future unprotected first. That won’t happen (or shouldn’t).

Los Angeles has limited assets that it could trade so the players it could get in return are limited. Luckily for you, we combed through the league to find some cheap candidates that could actually become Lakers, even if they aren’t very exciting.

3 shooters that the Los Angeles Lakers could actually trade for:

1. Darius Bazley, Oklahoma City Thunder

Former first-round pick Darius Bazley in the last year of his rookie contract with the Oklahoma City Thunder and has seen a reduced role in the rotation. Bazley is playing just 16.1 minutes per game and with him being a restricted free agent after the season, the Thunder would likely take any assets they can get for the young power forward.

Bazley is having a career year from beyond the arc as he is shooting 39.8% from three in 1.5 attempts per game. The sample size might not be very large and his career numbers are not great but he was projected to be a stretch four coming into the league.

The Lakers have proven that they can get the most out of young players and Bazley could be a candidate to not only help this season but be a long-term fit. On top of having a career year shooting the basketball, he has also been an above-average defender with a 1.2 Defensive Box Plus/Minus. That makes him even more appealing as a potential long-term trade target.

He does not appear to be in the Thunder’s long-term plans, though, so an expiring contract in Kendrick Nunn as well as a second-round pick would probably be enough to get Bazley to LA.

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