As the Los Angeles Lakers seek to get younger and more athletic on the wing this summer, a ton of names are going to emerge as potential targets. Lakers fans will be monitoring the situation with Trey Murphy III closely, but they need to be open-minded about other options. Murphy is a hot commodity, and the Lakers aren't in an optimal cap environment to outbid other suitors for him.
There are other wings on the free-agent and trade markets that, while not as shiny as Murphy, could add speed and two-way versatility to the Lake Show on the wing. Quentin Grimes is one name that's come up, and here's another, less-discussed name to watch: Bilal Coulibaly of the Washington Wizards.
Bilal Coulibaly might emerge as a Lakers trade target
Coulibaly still has one year and $9.2 million left on his deal with Washington, but he might become a trade chip for the Wiz if they draft stud wing AJ Dybantsa with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft, as is widely expected.
On an episode of the Buha's Block podcast this week (hosted by Lakers writer Jovan Buha), NBA analyst Iztok Franko talked about Coulibaly as a potential trade target for LA.
"I see a lot of Derrick Jones Jr. in him ... and I don't know what the situation in Washington will be if they draft a great wing to build around ... maybe he's the guy who would be the odd man out," Franko noted about Coulibaly.
"Who is Bilal Coulibaly? I've never heard of him."
For Lakers fans unaware of Coulibaly's game, allow me to inform. He's a 6-foot-7, athletic wing from France who was drafted at No. 7 overall by the Indiana Pacers in the 2023 draft (and traded to Washington on draft night).
Coulibaly has averaged 10.8 points per game for the Wiz in his first three seasons, which has comprised 178 games and 130 starts. His best season was probably his sophomore NBA campaign, in which Coulibaly averaged 12.3 points, five rebounds, and 3.4 assists per contest.
A promising 34.6% from 3 for Coulibaly in his rookie season ended up being a fluke, as Coulibaly shot 28.1% and 31.9% in the next two seasons. He's also been hampered by injuries in pretty much every year of his career thus far. A wrist fracture capped his rookie season at 63 games, a right hamstring strain limited him to 59 games in his second year, and a torn ligament in his right thumb (shooting hand) preceded his third season.
Coulibaly is still very young, and Washington is obviously excited about his potential, seeing as he's started the majority of his games for them. Coulibaly isn't as polished offensively as Lakers fans might desire, but he certainly checks the boxes of being bouncy, long, and versatile on the wing. He'd definitely add to winning around Luka Doncic, not detract from it. The Lakers should stay closely informed on his status in Washington.
Add us as a preferred source on Google