The Los Angeles Lakers have entered trade season in a better position than most expected them to be. Los Angeles is 20-15 through 35 games, which has them as the No. 5 seed in the Western Conference and just 0.5 games back of having home-court advantage in the first round of the 2025 NBA Playoffs.
One of the primary reasons to believe the Lakers can sustain and even build upon their quality of play is how the franchise has thus far navigated the trade market.
Los Angeles made a savvy move to add 3-and-D forward Dorian Finney-Smith and an efficient shooter in Shake Milton. It's expected to remain active, primarily due to its need for an upgrade at center, but what remains unclear is who it would be willing to part with to execute such a deal.
According to Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report, the Lakers have no interest in trading any of Anthony Davis, Rui Hachimura, Bronny James, LeBron James, Dalton Knecht, or Austin Reaves.
"Competing executives have also told B/R that the Lakers (at least to date) have shown no interest in discussing trades that include Rui Hachimura or Dalton Knecht (or, obviously, LeBron James, Anthony Davis, Austin Reaves, Bronny James, etc.)."
In other words: Any trade the Lakers are attempting to complete will ride on their ability to entice teams with players outside of their established core.
Lakers unwilling to trade Davis, Hachimura, James, Knecht, or Reaves
It should come as no surprise that the Lakers are uninterested in potentially trading either Davis or James. They're the two franchise players, and even at 40 years of age, James continues to foster an environment in which co-stars can thrive.
Few should blink at Reaves' name being mentioned, as well, as the 26-year-old has become one of the Lakers' most coveted players.
Thus far in 2024-25, Reaves is averaging 18.4 points, 6.0 assists, 4.4 rebounds, 1.0 steal, and 2.6 three-point field goals made per game. Each of those numbers would set a new career-best if they hold to the end of the regular season.
If that proves to be the case, it would mark the third consecutive season during which Reaves has raised his averages in each area from one year to the next.
As for Knecht, the rookie sharpshooter has instantly revealed his upside. He already has four 20-point games to his name, including a 37-point eruption against the Utah Jazz and a 27-point outing in a win over the New Orleans Pelicans.
Bronny James hasn't yet found his footing at the NBA level, but there have been promising signs in the G League that imply he has upside worth exploring.
The more surprising name on the list is Hachimura, whose contract may be the Lakers' most tradable asset at $17 million due in 2024-25. He's taken a significant step forward on the court, however, providing infectious energy and two-way value that's been tough to come by this season.
Much could change between now and the trade deadline if the right deal is presented to Pelinka, but the Lakers appear to have six untouchables on the roster.