Everyone is in agreement the Los Angeles Lakers need to upgrade the defense before the NBA’s trade deadline. If and when they do, though, they must be careful not to perpetuate the issue that’s left them so vulnerable in the first place: an overabundance of one-way players.
Take a moment to think about the Lakers’ current rotation. Who is the player they can most count on to make positive contributions at both ends of the floor? Jake LaRavia? Deandre Ayton? It certainly isn’t Luka Doncic, Austin Reaves, or LeBron James. If your answer is Marcus Smart, approaching the year 2026, that’s a problem.
Really, this entire exercise is a problem. Or rather, it’s the problem—the issue that most undermines the Lakers’ place in the Western Conference, and the flaw that has JJ Redick issuing the most transparent of thinly veiled criticisms.
The Lakers won’t be a contender until they get more two-way players
Rest assured, the Lakers have players who can provide value on defense. Smart can still put pressure on the ball. Jaxson Hayes has been reliable near the hoop. LeBron’s had some nice moments as a rim protector since the start of December, too. Ayton has his moments. LaRavia is probably the team’s best all-around defender. We all know what Jarred Vanderbilt can do.
Still, in most cases, the defensive impact is inconsistent, or it comes at a stark offensive tradeoff. The end result is a rotation teeming with players who don’t reliably contribute to both sides of the floor.
According to BBall Index’s LEBRON metric, the Lakers do not have a single rotation player who rates as an above-average player on offense and defense. This isn’t a perfect way of capturing value, but it aligns with the eye test for a team that ranks 29th in points allowed per possession since Thanksgiving.
The Lakers cannot hope to crack the inner circle of title contenders built this way—trades, or no trades. Every other top-six Western Conference team has multiple players who grade out as positive presences on both ends of the floor. The Lakers offense isn’t nearly elite enough to offset this stark of a contrast.
L.A. must be wary who it trades for
At this rate, given the injury to Austin Reaves and the team’s recent descent into defensive disaster, it doesn’t seem like the Lakers will be swinging for the fences at the trade deadline. Their best approach ahead of the February 5 cutoff is worth a discussion. Whatever they do, though, can’t purely be aimed at fixing the defense.
First and foremost, short of landing Victor Wembanyama or another DPOY candidate, no one player is fixing this defense. Beyond that, the Lakers can’t afford to roll out a defensive dynamo who’s a liability at the other end. These players have a way of getting bounced from the playoff rotation, or of submarining the half-court offense.
The bar for players who help at both ends of the hardwood is fuzzy. Someone like Herb Jones would seem as if he qualifies. Then again, the Lakers must decide if he can hit enough threes, or whether they have enough spacing to get him downhill, before surrendering what (few) prized trade chips they’ve got available.
This isn’t a discussion specific to Jones, either. It’s an overarching conversation that must be had about each potential trade target. Every team needs two-way players. The Lakers are no different—except for the fact that they don’t have nearly enough, if they have any at all.