5 Under-the-radar Lakers trade targets who can make an immediate impact

5. Bobby Portis Jr., Milwaukee Bucks

The Milwaukee Bucks have lost in the first round of the Playoffs for the second time since winning the 2021 NBA championship. Injuries have played a significant factor in that truth, but the Bucks' disappointing showing in 2023-24 after pairing Giannis Antetokounmpo with Damian Lillard could necessitate a restructure.

If that proves to be the case, then the Los Angeles Lakers should attempt to find a way to add one of the best bargain players in the NBA to its roster: Bobby Portis Jr.

Portis, 29, played a critical role in helping the Bucks win the championship in 2021. It was an unexpected development, as Portis went from being a career journeyman to becoming one of the top reserves in the NBA seemingly overnight.

Portis has since gone on to finish in the top-three in Sixth Man of the Year voting in each of the past two seasons.

Acquiring Portis would likely cost the Lakers a valued player, but his salary of just under $12.6 million in 2024-25 makes a trade at least somewhat simpler to imagine. In terms of his structural fit, he brings a physicality down low that would complement Anthony Davis and harken back to what helped the Lakers win it all in 2020.

A physical defender who attacks the offensive glass, Portis epitomizes what the Lakers need in order to recover from a dead-last ranking in second-chance points.