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3 players the Lakers could realistically trade in 2023-24

By Jason Reed

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - APRIL 05: D'Angelo Russell #1 of the Los Angeles Lakers dribbles away from Terance Mann #14 of the LA Clippers as Wenyen Gabriel #35 follows during the first half at Crypto.com Arena on April 05, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. 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 Harry How/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - APRIL 05: D'Angelo Russell #1 of the Los Angeles Lakers dribbles away from Terance Mann #14 of the LA Clippers as Wenyen Gabriel #35 follows during the first half at Crypto.com Arena on April 05, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. 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 Harry How/Getty Images) /
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A lot can change about an NBA team in the course of several months, just look at the Los Angeles Lakers last season. Los Angeles was a team that was going to miss the playoffs and ended up making it to the Western Conference Finals after a stellar trade deadline.

Following a strong offseason, the Lakers are one of the favorites to win the NBA Championship. However, the team still has an uphill battle and may need to make more roster improvements throughout the year to slay the likes of the Denver Nuggets or Phoenix Suns.

Thus, we could see the Lakers being one of the more active teams (once again) at the trade deadline. It seems absurd now with how much the roster is being hyped but there are several players in LA that could end up finishing the 2023-24 season elsewhere.

The Lakers could realistically trade D’Angelo Russell

This is by far the most realistic player on this list. D’Angelo Russell is at the top of the list, then there is a massive gap, then there are the other two players mentioned in this article. Los Angeles all but confirmed that Russell would be shopped at some point this season with the contract that the team signed him to.

This is not uncharted territory for Russell, who has been moved several times throughout the league. There is a reason why Russell has been traded multiple times and why the Lakers could end up trading him again: he is talented enough for desperate teams to take a chance but struggled in big spots for his previous team (hence why he is even available).

The best version of the Lakers’ roster for the 2024 NBA Playoffs probably doesn’t have Russell on it. The team shouldn’t trade him for the sake of trading him but there will likely be savvy improvements out there on the market.

It might take Russell being part of a bigger package, though, which leads into the other players the Lakers could realistically trade.

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