Power ranking all of the Lakers' trade assets at the 2024 deadline
Lakers' trade assets, 10-6:
10: 2029 1st Round Pick
Sticking to the Anthony Davis age theme, the cornerstone will be 36 years young at the time that the NBA announces this particular selection. Giving up a 1st round pick is never an easy agreement for a general manager to sign off on, but Pelinka will almost certainly have to part with at least one 1st in the coming weeks if it means getting the 2023-2024 Lakers back on the tracks to a title.
The younger that Davis is, the better the Lakers should hypothetically be. With that in mind, opposing GMs should be more attracted to the team's 1st round pick in the ensuing season in comparison to the 2029 1st.
9: 2030 1st Round Pick
Again, Davis will be a year older at the time of this selection. There is no crystal ball to tell us how things will pan out prior to that announcement, but the assumption here is that the 2028-2029 Lakers squad would be better than the 2029-2030 Lakers squad when it comes to wins and losses.
8: Jalen Hood-Schifino
JHS has not seen the floor much so far in 2023-2024, but that should be of no surprise to anyone. The Lakers are looking to win a championship this season, meaning they do not have time to cope with any type of rookie learning curve for the 17th pick in the 2023 draft.
Nonetheless, the 6'5" guard has the physical tools to overpower his defenders, while he also has the defensive chops and court intelligence to develop into a point-of-attack defender who doubles as a terrific table setter. The rookie point guard was highly impressive in his recent G League debut, and if he can progressively improve his jump shot over time he could really turn into something special.
7: D'Angelo Russell
Reports that Russell has "no value around the NBA" recently surfaced in the heat of ongoing speculation connecting D'Lo to the trade block. While those rumors may ring true, his 39-point eruption in the game against Utah was yet another reminder of Russell's star potential. Remember when he hung 35 on the Detroit Pistons back in late November? Say what you want about D'Angelo, but he is still one of the more underrated secondary playmakers in the game today.
While some teams are apparently turned off by his contract, the soon to be 28-year-old guard will hit unrestricted free agency after next season. Plus, the $18.7 million that he is due next season is not actually as bad as it seems when you consider his per-game averages thus far in 2023-2024: 29.1 MPG, 15.4 PPG, 6.1 APG (to just 1.9 TOPG), 2.8 RPG, 0.8 SPG and 0.5 BPG on shooting splits of 47.1 FG%/39.4 3%/76.0 FT%.
6: Taurean Prince
Prince has been the team's top offseason addition thus far, and the journeyman may have found himself a home in Los Angeles. However, with the NBA being a business no one outside of LeBron and AD is safe.
The combo forward has done exactly what this team needs him to do, and there have surely been opposing teams in need of some 3&D juice (Dallas, Milwaukee, etc) that have taken notice. His $4.5 million expiring contract could also be necessary in order to facilitate a larger, more blockbuster level exchange.