The Los Angeles Lakers should give serious thought to acquiring Toronto Raptors swingman Ochai Agbaji. The 25-year-old has endured a grueling 2025-26 campaign during which nothing has seemed to work for him, but he's a talented former lottery pick who looked the part of a starter as recently as 2024-25.
Though the Raptors' rotation no longer seems to suit him, the Lakers have every reason to buy low on a player who fits their most logical agenda: Prioritizing the future.
Agbaji is in the final season of his the four-year, $18,726,365 rookie-scale contract. He's making a team-friendly figure of $6,383,525 in 2025-26 and could thus be acquired for a rather minimal cost that the Lakers would be able to pay without sacrificing long-term flexibility.
It's also difficult to imagine the Raptors being able to ask for significant draft compensation for a player who has struggled so mightily in 2025-26 and has only received 16.5 minutes per game.
In the event that the Lakers can complete a trade for Agbaji that doesn't include a draft pick or an unreasonable personnel loss, they'd take a step toward progress. It'd be a low-risk endeavor given his expiring salary and pending restricted free agency, but it'd also give the team a necessary influx of youth, athleticism, and two-way potential.
There may be flashier moves for the Lakers to make, but with every reason to preserve their cap space and protect their picks, Agbaji is the most ideal target.
Ochai Agbaji has a low-cost expiring contract and upside to explore
Agbaji proved in 2024-25 that he has the ability to become one of the better 3-and-D players in the NBA. He averaged 10.4 points, 3.8 rebounds, 1.0 offensive board, 1.5 assists, 0.9 steals, and 1.6 three-point field goals made in 27.2 minutes per game on .498/.399/.708 shooting.
Furthermore, Agbaji ranked in the 99th percentile in off-ball chaser defense, the 94th percentile in perimeter isolation defense, and the 90th percentile in ball screen navigation, per Basketball Index.
It's impossible to ignore that Agbaji shot a hair under 40 percent from three and ranked among the absolute best perimeter defenders in the NBA just one season ago. It's even more difficult to deny that his regression feels like an outlier, as he shot 35.5 percent or better from beyond the arc in two of his first three seasons yet he's at 18.8 percent in 2025-26.
Furthermore, Agbaji hasn't completely regressed as a player, as he ranks in the 92nd percentile in perimeter isolation defense despite his decreased playing time and shooting woes.
Ochai Agbaji is an elite isolation defender who shot 39.9% in 2024-25
It's a promising sign that a young player who has become somewhat ostracized is still playing with a dependable degree of intensity on defense. That alone offers reason for the Lakers to believe that he's a worthwhile trade target considering perimeter defense is one of the team's most glaring issues.
If nothing else, trading for Agbaji would translate to acquiring the right to match any offer that one of the best young perimeter defenders in the NBA receives this coming summer.
Perhaps the Raptors would be willing to negotiate a deal that sees two players in need of a change of scenery swap places. In that scenario, Agbaji would head to Los Angeles and Dalton Knecht would go to Toronto. It's far from guaranteed, but it's the type of offer the Lakers should be comfortable making.
The Lakers are painfully close to finally having cap space, and that must remain their top priority, but they're also in desperate need of an influx of developable talent. Agbaji offers the perfect middle ground.