Fact or fiction: Bleacher Report’s top 3 trade targets for Lakers
The Los Angeles Lakers kept their core intact in this summer’s offseason, but there still exists room for improvement if they want to win the Finals.
Alongside a new two-year contract for D’Angelo Russell and a later contract extension with Anthony Davis, the Lakers’ biggest move in free agency was signing 2023 Eastern Conference Champion point guard Gabe Vincent from the Miami Heat. Adding another offensive orchestrator next to LeBron James will surely improve Los Angeles’ depth and allow their star captain to rest more easily.
Since the offseason started to wind down, Lakers faithful have looked at the remaining free agents in hopes of a hidden gem. The majority of names mentioned have been centers, such as Christian Wood, JaVale McGee, Bismack Biyombo, and plenty more. Thus far, there has been no movement on the free agent market or trade front for LA in the past few weeks.
The offseason has likely hit a pause as players and team executives wait with bated breath for the result of Damian Lillard’s and James Harden’s sudden trade requests. Each player’s eventual landing spot could significantly shift the intentions of numerous free agents, and plenty of teams are hoping to be a part of a larger multi-team trade package if the situation arises.
Regardless, the Lakers have a multitude of paths to improve their already competitive roster. Los Angeles will hope to retain the majority of their current team, while D’Angelo Russell and others have already been on the suspected trade block. With the Lakers’ interest in so many bigs, fans assume the next move for the city of angels will be bolstering their post depth. Bleacher Report’s latest trade article could suggest otherwise, though.
Bleacher Report suggests an alternate trade path for the Lakers, foregoing another backup center.
Bleacher Report recently published three trade targets for each of the NBA’s 30 teams. While they wrote that some teams should target star trades, the Lakers were a different story.
Los Angeles was given three high level role players as their top targets, none of which were centers. In fact, the list for LA varied wildly among the three players. To improve the Lakers roster, Bleacher Report named Bojan Bogdanovic, Cole Anthony and Collin Sexton as the best prospective trade targets.
Bleacher Report viewed each player as a support for LA’s scoring options should Austin Reaves and Rui Hachimura fail to maintain their superb performance in the playoffs. Additionally, Cole Anthony and Collin Sexton could fill in their backcourt needs in the seemingly inevitable Russell trade (Something about the name Russell and the Lakers just leads to trade rumors lately).
Are they realistic trade options for Los Angeles?
The Lakers have a solid nucleus of talent already, but adding to that would surely improve their chances at a deep playoff run. With such a wide range of skills throughout the three players, not all of them are realistic options.
Adding a player to the Lakers is not just based on their level of scoring or overall talent. Any addition needs to play to the strengths of LeBron and Anthony Davis, both offensively and defensively. Further, they need to match head coach Darvin Ham’s gameplans. When you join a team poised to achieve great feats, there is plenty of questions to answer before making the move.
How would each of these players fair on the Lakers? How do they stack up against one another? Are they realistic targets for LA? Let’s take a look.