This is the time of the year where trade speculation is going to run wild. Whoever is reading this is here for that exact reason. Let's face it, trades are fun. They offer an excellent opportunity to achieve a goal that will hopefully serve to improve the current situation that a team is facing.
The Los Angeles Lakers are certainly in a spot where improvements would not only be welcome, but are bordering on necessary at this point. There are certainly bright spots from the Lakers roster. Anthony Davis is playing All-NBA caliber basketball. LeBron James is still performing at a high enough level to help push a strong team forward. Austin Reaves is enjoying a career year.
However, there are also glaring issues that need to be addressed. The Lakers currently possess the 24th-ranked defensive rating in the NBA. That is certainly far from what is expected of a championship contender. They are also very middling when it comes to their offensive rating. Their mark of 112.8 is only good enough for 13th in the league.
The Lakers should certainly look to fix as many holes as possible before the NBA Trade Deadline on Feb. 6. There should be one target out there that can help aid in a lot of departments.
A path for the Lakers to acquire Bruce Brown still exists
Bruce Brown has been a player that has been heavily linked to Los Angeles since, at the very least, this past NBA offseason. No deal got done then. However, that does not mean it is too late to strike a trade for the former NBA champion.
The contracts still exist to get Brown to the City of Angels. A combination like Gabe Vincent, Jarred Vanderbilt, and Jalen Hood-Schifino makes sense financially as groundwork for a trade. Any additional draft capital, or potentially an extra trade partner to reroute a piece or two can be figured out from there.
While Brown has only played nine games during the 2024-25 NBA season due to a lengthy road back from injury, and his averages do not necessarily jump off the charts at the moment, there is reason to really like the fit in Los Angeles.
Brown has enough lineup versatility to play anywhere from the one to the three for the Lakers. This should offer JJ Redick a chance to experiment with some different combinations before settling in on what works best, offensively and defensively.
On the surface, Brown's production with the Toronto Raptors may suggest a dip in his player quality. However, one could easily argue that it has as much to do with the environment as it does the player in this scenario.
Brown has proven himself to be a solid option for offense off the bench during key moments like the Denver Nuggets' finals run. The 28-year-old can also be expected to reasonably hold his own on the perimeter when it comes to guarding opposing players.
This should not be the one and only move the Lakers turn to for improving their roster. However, this can certainly be an addition that patches up several holes.