5 Lakers targets most likely to join LeBron James and Co. by NBA Trade Deadline 2024
The LA Lakers have struggled for consistency all season long despite winning the NBA's inaugural In-Season Tournament. They are below .500, with a 21-22 record, after losing to the Brooklyn Nets on Thursday. Due to their struggles, they have been at the forefront of many trade rumors.
Fans can expect the Lakers to make moves before the Feb. 4 trade deadline as they hope to surround their aging stars with talent to compete for the championship. Here's a list of five players who could be with the Purple and Gold before the trade deadline.
5 players who could join the Lakers before the Trade Deadline
#1 Zach Lavine
The Chicago Bulls and Zach Lavine are due for a breakup soon, as neither parry appears to be benefitting from their partnership. The Bulls are nowhere near being championship contenders, and Lavine is averaging under 20.0 ppg for the first time in five seasons (19.5 ppg in 25 appearances).
The Lakers require another consistent scoring threat to alleviate some of the pressure from LeBron and AD, and Lavine needs a fresh start. LA will need to give up plenty of assets for this trade to work and will lose the ability to be flexible in the coming seasons.
However, if they want to go all in on what might very well be the closing stages of LeBron's time in La-La Land, this move might just be what they need.
#2 Dorian Finney-Smith
The Brooklyn Nets have a very steep asking price for defensive stalwart Dorian Finney-Smith, but he's available, and the Lakers should look to take advantage of that.
It won't be the blockbuster move fans are waiting, for but it would a move that addresses some of their needs. The Lakers are surrendering an average of 115.7 points per game (17th) in the league, which isn't the worst but is not good enough to contend for the title.
The addition of Finney-Smith could help them in this regard, and his reliable shooting from downtown (40.1 3P%) could also benefit LA, who's only 19th in 3-point percentage (35.9%).
#3 Jerami Grant
Jerami Grant is an underappreciated scoring threat and one of the few players on the Portland TrailBlazers' roster that do not fit their timeline. He will turn 30 soon, and his best years should not be wasted on a team that's in rebuild.
Lakers coach Darvin Ham could make use of his offensive versatility to give his team new looks on offense. Grant could discover new aspects of his game with the offense mainly being focused on LeBron and AD.
#4 Dejounte Murray
D'Angelo Russell has consistently been in the rumor mill, as the Lakers were viewed as a team that required an upgrade to their point guard. They might be able to achieve thaat by trading for Dejounte Murray, who has reportedly been on their radar for a while.
Murray would be a massive improvement on defense for the Lakers over Russell, and acquiring him could also give LA a potential star to pair with AD beyond the LeBron James era.
#5 Bruce Brown
Bruce Brown was recently acquired by the Toronto Raptors, but it's unclear if they want to keep him or move him again after the deadline.
He has reportedly been targeted by the Lakers before the Indiana Pacers signed him. If the Raptors make him available, LA will be at the forefront of teams to trade for him.
As he was traded just recently and the fact that the Toronto Raptors are over the salary cap, Brown cannot be traded along with another player. If the two teams come up with a deal for him, the Raptors cannot add another player to the deal, but that should not be a problem because Brown is a prize all to himself.
Also read: 3 reasons why Lakers need to trade for Zach LaVine and 2 reasons why they shouldn’t