Rob Pelinka just set up the Los Angeles Lakers for the next decade. By trading for Luka Doncic, the Lakers have landed their new face of the franchise, especially once LeBron James decides to retire. They shipped Anthony Davis to the Dallas Mavericks in a move that will define a generation. But now, they need to establish their plans for the future.
Getting Doncic is the first and most important step. They have their guy. But he can’t win on his own. For the next few years, the Lakers will need to work on getting Doncic a star teammate to play with once James hangs up his sneakers. And that will most likely come in the form of a trade.
With that in mind, here are five dream Lakers trade targets they could pair with Doncic for the better part of the next decade.
1. Anthony Edwards
Right now, the Minnesota Timberwolves have no interest in trading Anthony Edwards. He’s the face of their franchise and the guy who lifted them to the Western Conference finals last year. But those statements could have been made about Doncic and the Mavs a few days ago.
Minnesota has been having a down year, and they just made a terrible trade, sending out Karl-Anthony Towns for Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo.
With the current state of their financial situation, things could go from bad to worse in Minnesota at a rapid rate. If Edwards ever gets unhappy with the Wolves, playing in LA with Doncic could be an ideal situation.
2. Giannis Antetokounmpo
This would be more like a five-year plan than a 10-year plan, but the idea of pairing Doncic with Giannis Antetokounmpo is too intriguing to ignore.
Before their recent turnaround, the Milwaukee Bucks looked like they were one a one-way path to a rebuild. Their struggles were met with questions as to whether or not they might consider an Antetokounmpo trade.
If they begin to struggle again or Antetokounmpo grows frustrated with his current situation, perhaps the Lakers could swoop in and try to make something happen.
3. Devin Booker
The Phoenix Suns seem to be going nowhere fast. They’ve struggled mightily this season and will have to battle just to make the Play-In Tournament, especially if the now-De’Aaron Fox-led San Antonio Spurs and Golden State Warriors continue to improve at the trade deadline.
Devin Booker’s history with Doncic would make pairing them together very funny, but it makes plenty of sense. Having those two as a backcourt would be lethal.
If the Suns ever decide to blow things up, the Lakers would absolutely be interested in bringing Booker on board.
4. Zion Williamson
This isn’t quite as sexy as the other options on this list, but when he’s healthy, Zion Williamson is an All-NBA-caliber player. And putting him next to Doncic would be incredible to watch.
While this idea isn’t as flashy because of Williamson’s injury history, it also means this trade could be the most realistic of the bunch.
The Lakers may rather play things safer and wait for a better option to appear, but Williamson and Doncic would certainly create a dynamic duo.
5. Bam Adebayo
It sounds like the Miami Heat have tabbed Bam Adebayo as the team’s captain and leader moving forward. But that’s why the players on this list are dreams and not yet realities.
Should the Heat fail to capitalize on Adebayo’s prime by putting a championship-caliber team around him, there’s no guarantee that he’ll commit to the organization for his entire career.
If Adebayo ever decides to explore his options or at least consider moving on, the pick-and-roll with him and Doncic would become the stuff of nightmares for NBA defenses.