The most talked about basketball player in Los Angeles right now isn't even someone on the Los Angeles Lakers — it is Zach LaVine. The Lakers firmly took the lead as the most sensible team to trade for LaVine when he hit the trade block, which has caused plenty of speculation.
Trading for LaVine would bring a litany of issues to Los Angeles and the Lakers seem to somewhat understand that. The team is reportedly more interested in trading for Alex Caruso and DeMar DeRozan, which is a good sign that Rob Pelinka might not go all-in on someone who doesn't really translate to winning basketball (LaVine).
In fact, the Lake Show may go an entirely different direction altogether. The team has several assets to trade and there are multiple names that will probably get dealt at the deadline who make more sense than LaVine.
Malcolm Brogdon is a better Lakers trade target than Zach LaVine
Malcolm Brogdon was shipped to Portland in the Jrue Holiday trade which created a new defensive force in Boston. Brogdon could have been re-routed again when that happened but the Blazers ultimately kept him aboard, likely to serve as a veteran presence to the young guards on the roster.
The hope for Portland is that Brogdon could increase his value some and convince a contending team to trade for him at the deadline. After all, there is no real reason for Portland to hang onto him as an expiring contract.
While he missed a small amount of time, Brogdon has played well on the Blazers this season and certainly would be a welcomed addition in Los Angeles if the Lakers were to make a trade.
There are two ways to go about this. The Lakers could essentially trade D'Angelo Russell straight up with either a young asset (like Jalen Hood-Schifino) or multiple second-round picks. Or, the team could try to offload Gabe Vincent's multi-year deal, pairing him with Taurean Prince, Hood-Schifino, and a protected first-round pick/pick swap.
Buddy Hield is a better Lakers trade target than Zach LaVine
For as long as he is shooting the basketball in the NBA Buddy Hield will be connected in some way to the Los Angeles Lakers. It looked like the Lakers were going to trade for him before the team made the Russell Westbrook deal. Then after that, Hield and Myles Turner were often mentioned as "the package" to trade Westbrook and picks for.
None of that ultimately happened but that does not mean that the Hield dream is dead. Hield is back in the trade rumors with the Pacers reportedly seeking a first-round pick and rotation player in exchange for the shooting guard's services.
Whether or not Indiana can get that kind of return is unclear. After all, Hield is on the last year of his contract and would essentially be a rental for whatever team is trading for him. While he is one of the best three-point shooters in the sport, he is not great defensively and that naturally limits his trade value.
Like with Brogdon, the Lakers have two different paths to take. If the Russell situation sours in LA then he could be packaged with Hood-Schifino and some second-round picks to get the deal done. Or the team could go the other way, packaging multiple players together with a first-round pick.
Hield does not have the star power that LaVine has but he would provide pretty much the same impact. The Lakers just need LaVine to be a third scorer that spaces the floor and that is exactly what Hield would do. Sure, LaVine's averages have been higher in his career, but he has also had a much higher usage rate. His usage rate wouldn't nearly be as high in LA and his numbers would dip.
Pascal Siakam is a better Lakers trade target than Zach Lavine
If the Lakers wanted to swing for the fences and really make a splash this season then they should be calling the Toronto Raptors for Pascal Siakam. Siakam would be miles better in LA than LaVine would ever be and might just make the Lakers the scariest team in the Western Conference.
Siakam is in the final year of his contract with complicated extension talks between him and the Raptors. It is not a given that Siakam will be traded at the deadline but if an extension cannot be agreed upon the Raptors should absolutely trade him. Not doing so would be malpractice.
This trade would obviously cost the most of any trade on this list and would even be more expensive than a LaVine deal. At the very least, the Lakers would have to trade Russell, Rui Hachimura, Jalen Hood-Schifino, and two unprotected first-round picks. For half a season of Siakam, that is fair value.
However, because the NBA trade market is not linear and the Lakers have to outbid other teams, the price may be higher. Los Angeles may have to package Austin Reaves into the deal over Hachimura or D'Lo to make it happen.
If the price reaches an unbearable point then the Lakers are better off not making the deal. But if they could do it for a package around D'Lo and Hachimura (with picks) then it would be a home run.
LA would be doubling down on the team's size and would still have solid floor spacing. At full strength, the starting five would be Gabe Vincent, Austin Reaves, LeBron James, Pascal Siakam and Anthony Davis. That is a championship-winning lineup, especially when the team would still have Jarred Vanderbilt, Cam Reddish, Christian Wood, and Max Christie to bring off the bench.