3 Teams closing in on a fire sale that the Lakers should attempt to trade with

The Los Angeles Lakers will enter the 2024-25 NBA regular season with the genuine intention of uncovering how valuable a head coach can be. Los Angeles is bringing back an almost identical roster from a season ago, banking on JJ Redick to explore otherwise untapped potential.

There's reason to be optimistic about what the Lakers can achieve, but in the event that they hit a wall ahead of the trade deadline, there are several teams they must keep an eye on.

Los Angeles will bring back a starting lineup that guided the team to the 2023 Western Conference Finals and a 22-10 record after February 3, 2024. It'll also take a chance on key reserves such as Jarred Vanderbilt and Gabe Vincent avoiding the injury bug after they appeared in a combined 40 games in 2023-24.

With the addition of promising rookie Dalton Knecht, the hope appears to be that health and youth will give Los Angeles the roster improvements they otherwise avoided during the offseason.

The harsh reality facing every team is that even the most perfectly structured strategy can fall apart. As such, the trade deadline could prove to be a time of year at which the Lakers are forced to make difficult decisions about how it can best contend in 2024-25 and beyond.

Thankfully, three teams are close to blowing it all up—thus enabling the Lakers to make a trade for a valuable player at a potentially affordable price.

1. Brooklyn Nets

The Brooklyn Nets may not have a star to pursue, but the Lakers don't necessarily need one to improve. Instead, general manager Rob Pelinka must evaluate options that are more affordable and perhaps more seamless in the way they'd fit with an already talented roster.

Brooklyn is highly unlikely to trade prized center Nicolas Claxton or dynamic scoring threat Cam Thomas, but there are several intriguing players to keep an eye on.

Day'Ron Sharpe is a 22-year-old center who ranked No. 2 in the NBA in offensive rebound percentage in 2023-24. He's also playing on a rookie-scale contract that could be easily affordable, thus providing a potential answer to Los Angeles' search for depth at the 5.

Sharpe will become a restricted free agent in 2025, however, meaning a trade for him could require the Lakers to pay a decent price to retain him next summer.

Other options in Brooklyn include sharpshooting forward Cameron Johnson and defensive specialist Dorian Finney-Smith. Johnson has three years and $68,820,652 remaining on his contract, which could be a hurdle, but he's an elite three-point shooter who has history with Redick.

As for Finney-Smith, he's one of the best defensive forwards in the NBA, as well as a competent shooter, who's owed a reasonable $14,924,167. He's a realistic option if the Lakers decide the Jarred Vanderbilt experience isn't panning out.

2. Chicago Bulls

The Chicago Bulls lost DeMar DeRozan this summer, and it appears as though something of a rebuild is in the works. Unfortunately for Chicago, that will be easier said than done considering how many lucrative contracts the team has committed to.

If Los Angeles determines that there's a concrete fit to be found in Chicago, they could benefit from the franchise's willingness to part with a talented player for the sake of simply shedding their salary.

The obvious name that will be linked to the Lakers is All-Star shooting guard Zach LaVine. LaVine boasts a rare combination of elite athleticism and impressive marksmanship from beyond the arc, averaging 25.1 points and 2.7 three-point field goals made on 38.8 percent shooting from beyond the arc between 2018-19 and 2022-23.

LaVine has three years and $137,998,980 remaining on his contract, however, and a recent injury has reportedly left Chicago willing to trade him for pennies on the dollar.

In saying that, LaVine's contract would be quite an undertaking, which makes Ayo Dosunmu the more interesting option. Dosunmu is owed $14,518,518 over the next two seasons, and is a promising two-way player who shot 40.3 percent from beyond the arc in 2023-24.

If the Bulls are more interested in draft compensation than Dosunmu, then the Lakers should at least explore that option.

3. Portland Trail Blazers

If the Lakers are interested in adding a borderline All-Star, then the Trail Blazers are the team to call. Portland is reportedly looking to trade both Jerami Grant and Anfernee Simons by the end of the 2024-25 season.

If one of those players fits what Los Angeles is looking for around the trade deadline, it would behoove Pelinka to kick the tires on a potential deal.

Grant has been linked to the Lakers throughout the second half of 2024, with many accrediting it to his Klutch Sports affiliation. When healthy, he's one of the best 3-and-D players in the NBA, and would be an arguable upgrade over Rui Hachimura at forward.

If Hachimura struggles to prove the skeptics wrong on that front, the Lakers may go the Grant route in a trade—but they'd be paying nearly twice as much per season for that potential improvement.

Simons is the most interesting option in Portland, as he's looked the part of a future All-NBA player. This past season, he averaged 22.6 points, 5.5 assists, and 3.4 three-point field goals made per game while shooting 38.5 percent from beyond the arc—and would likely be even more efficient alongside Anthony Davis and LeBron James.

Owed a more than reasonable $53,571,428 over the next two seasons, Simons could be the bargain star-caliber player the Lakers are looking for.