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