If not for their poor 2-10 start to the season, the Los Angeles Lakers would already be squarely in the playoff hunt. Even though they have improved it is still clear that they lack shooting and need some help on the wing.
There are clearly members of the roster that are expendable based on production and playing time, and if they make the right moves, they will be set up to make a run deep into the Western Conference playoffs.
This season is wide open for the taking in the Western Conference without one dominant team. When healthy, the Lakers can compete in a playoff series with all the teams at the top, they just need to get in the dance.
To get there, the Lakers need to at least make an effort to improve at the trade deadline.
They can do so by either adding a minor piece or making a big splash by finally pulling the trigger on a Russell Westbrook trade.
It is all going to come down to whether the Lakers’ front office is willing to part ways with either of their 2027 and 2029 first-round picks. They have been rumored to be some of the most valuable assets in the league, so the Lakers should just trade them and go for the championship this season.
Sure, they would like to keep most of their assets in the event of a rebuild after LeBron’s inevitable departure, but they need to focus on hanging banners now because that has always been the Lakers’ path to success. AD looked like a monster before he went down, Austin Reaves looks like he took a step forward in his second season, and Lonnie Walker has been a pleasant surprise.
They’re all out, and they have won six of their last 10 games and just beat the top team in the conference, the Memphis Grizzlies. If they can get healthy and add shooting and wing depth, that has already been proven to be a championship recipe with a healthy LeBron and AD.
Lakers minor move: Trading for Cam Reddish
Cam Reddish has been a player the Lakers have been linked to in recent seasons because it seems like his game could fit a glaring need for Los Angeles. They need someone that is at least 6’8″ that can score and defend, and Reddish is a perfect guy with upside for them to take a chance on and develop.
They wouldn’t have to take a big risk to go get him, because he is rumored to be available for just a 2nd round pick or two. The Lakers should be jumping at the opportunity to trade for a former lottery pick with the amount of natural talent and athleticism Reddish has.
It is obvious he has not quite lived up to his potential in the NBA, but he is still only 23 years old and has not gotten the opportunity to play as much as he probably thought he would have as a star coming out of Duke.
If he had the opportunity to play alongside LeBron James and learn from the greatest small forward to ever play, then he will have a solid chance to learn and succeed. Lonnie Walker was a guy coming into the season in a similar situation to Reddish and he has thrived in a new role in LA and the same thing could happen for Cam.
This is a very low-risk and high-reward trade scenario which the Lakers should have already made once it was heard to be on the table. It seems like a no-brainer to go out and get wing depth, but one thing Reddish has struggled with throughout his career is hitting the spot-up 3-pointer and that could be the reason why they pass on him.
Lakers moderate move: Trading for Gary Harris
The Orlando Magic are a team people will be watching around the trade deadline because they have solid role players that don’t really fit their timeline with the emergence of rookie phenom Paolo Banchero. Guys like Gary Harris and Terrence Ross all come to mind as veterans who could contribute to playoff teams that probably are not worth keeping around for a rebuild.
A player like Mo Bamba who has underachieved during his time in the Magic Kingdom could likely be available to take a flyer on as well. He is a former lottery pick that could pair well alongside Anthony Davis to help take some of the interior grunt work off his plate.
The Lakers’ 2027 and 2029 first-round picks are valuable assets, so a deal like this one seems feasible for a team looking for future draft picks. If the Lakers are a bad team once LeBron retires that selection could be in the lottery right when Paolo should be an All-Star.
Orlando has already built itself a talented young core of players that could be set to compete around the time that pick comes around, so this could be a rare win-win situation for both franchises.
Both Harris and Ross would help the Lakers on both ends of the floor because they can both hit an open 3-pointer and play decent defense. If the Lakers did make this deal, they would have to trade Westbrook, Kendrick Nunn, Patrick Beverley, or a combination of those guys to get help at the small forward position because Harris and Ross would flood an already crowded backcourt in Los Angeles.
Lakers big move: The much-anticipated Pacers trade
After seeing how the first half of the season played out, the Lakers should have made the trade in the offseason for Buddy Hield and Myles Turner for the two future first-round picks and Russell Westbrook. If they would have pulled the trigger on that they would easily be in playoff position.
Both Hield and Turner have played great this season and they fill major needs for the Lakers on both sides of the court. To his credit, Westbrook has played well off the bench this season, but he has been a clunky fit ever since arriving in Los Angeles. Buddy would instantly be the Lakers’ biggest threat scoring from the outside and Miles Turner would fill in well as rim protector while AD is on the mend and can stretch the floor as well.
One potential hurdle to this deal is that Westbrook does not really make sense with the Pacers’ plans either, considering Tyrese Haliburton is having a career year distributing the basketball and that is what he does best. They would mainly make this move to get two very valuable picks that could put their team in the championship conversation far down the road.
Then they could ship Westbrook off to the highest bidder that thinks they could potentially rehabilitate the rest of his career. Imagine Westbrook on a team like the Bucks for instance who could use a spark of energy off the bench to reignite their championship ways and Indiana could add some draft capital.
The Pacers are less likely to make this trade now because they have a good chance of making the playoffs this season and this trade would basically be punting on any chance of that, so the Lakers may have missed their chance.
The Athletic proposes unhinged Lakers-Bulls trade for LeBron James
LeBron James could try and demand a trade from the Los Angeles Lakers over the summer. If so, the team must avoid making this proposed Bulls trade.
However, Indiana does have a promising young talented group of rookies and a budding Haliburton, so a play for the future might not be a bad idea.