7 LOWKEY LAKERS TRADE TARGETS

By now you have surely read/heard about the rumors linking the Los Angeles Lakers to some big names on the trade market (Zach LaVine, Brandon Ingram, etc.) as well as some other potential upgrade options a tier or two down from those guys (Jonas Valanciunas, Dorian Finney-Smith, etc.). All of those common connections would undeniably stand to benefit this team in their own respective manners.

But regardless of what each of them brings to the table, it is important to remember that there are an abundance of additional prospects for the front office to consider. While we have no way of listening into those calls, meetings and negotiations, you never truly know what exactly to expect when it comes to NBA trade season. For all we know, Rob Pelinka could go out and make a play for someone who was never mentioned in chatter as a legitimate candidate.

Here are 7 guys we could rationally see the Lakers brass sneaking in a trade for out of nowhere prior to the rapidly approaching 2025 NBA trade deadline (February 6th at 3 PM ET).

ANFERNEE SIMONS | PORTLAND TRAIL BLAZERS | $25.9 MILLI

In a development that should come as a surprise to absolutely nobody, the Portland Trail Blazers are once again residing amongst the league’s bottom dwellers. Owning an atrocious 8-17 record thus far, the Blazers front office should be eager to export some of their more valuable veterans in exchange for picks and prospects as they rev forward into their post-Dame rebuild. Jerami Grant ($29.8 MILLI) has come up as a person of interest on numerous occasions, and the same holds true for injured rim protector Robert Williams III ($12.4 MILLI).

But what about the team’s leading scorer (17.1 PPG) Anfernee Simons? Simons (26 in June) is young + talented enough to fit the mold of a plausible franchise cornerstone, but is a shaky fit next to Rip City’s soon-to-be 21-year-old floor general of the future Scoot Henderson. The 6’3” guards have the explosiveness and skill to run rampant offensively, but we already saw how things played out with the similarly sized and skilled Lillard-McCollum backcourt pairing.

If Simons were to become available, the Lakers could do a lot worse in terms of some of the other guards mentioned on the open market. He has quietly freaky hops, as evidenced by his victory in the 2021 AT&T Dunk Contest. In the 2 seasons preceding the present one, he averaged 21.1 PPG and 22.6 PPG, respectively (albeit he did deal with injury issues which limited his availability in each of those campaigns). Did we mention he is a career 38.2% outside shooter on a healthy 6.2 attempts per game?

When you really think about it, there are not a ton of guys across the entire landscape of the league who would hypothetically serve as a more perfect complement between LeBron/AD in the present as well next to AD in the future.

MALCOM BROGDON | WASHINGTON WIZARDS | $22.5 MILLI

Just like Portland, no one anticipated the Wizards being very competitive this year (aside from maybe Kyle Kuzma). It seems like a forgone conclusion that Jonas Valanciunas will be shipped out of the nation’s capital sooner rather than later, and it would not really make any sense for the team to hold onto his fellow vet Malcom Brogdon. Brogdon has been affiliated with the purple and gold in the past, and is in the midst of a ‘so-so’ season by his normal super efficient standards. His numbers have not been bad by any means when he is on the court (23.8 MPG | 13.8 PPG | 4.3 RPG | 2.6 APG (VS. 1.6 TOPG) | 49.5% FG | 33.3% 3FG | 84.4% FT), but injury issues have held him to just 9 games played through the team’s first 23. The Lakers may be able to get him on a bargain, and he would instantly inject a dependably solid combo guard to a rotation needing more from it’s backcourt.

LONZO BALL | CHICAGO BULLS | $21.4 MILLI

Do not get us wrong, Lonzo Ball has looked rusty RUSTY at times since his return to the basketball court. After missing 2.5 seasons, it is needless to say that this observation was to be expected. But there have also been more than a few flashes of the dynamic-defending, table-setting, triple-splashing Zo who was truly beginning to evolve into one of the NBA’s more electric catalysts prior to his knee problems. As he continues to get more comfortable being back in live action and begins to restore his previously established rhythm on both ends, we could/should bear witness to the re-birth of one of the league’s legit X-factors.

With Chicago once again stuck in the dreaded middle of the pack, Zach LaVine and Nikola Vucevic should soon find themselves sporting new jerseys. And if Marc Eversley and his companions are not sold on Ball’s long-term outlook, his expiring contract could quickly find itself included in trade proposals and packages that help streamline a Windy City rebuild which should have began a year or two ago.

MYLES TURNER | INDIANA PACERS | $19.9 MILLI

The vibes were high for the Indiana Pacers coming into the 2024-2025 NBA season. After earning a trip to the Eastern Conference Finals last season, this tough core rotation seemed destined to sustain the wave. That has simply not been the case in Indy, with the Pacers struggling early on to the tune of an 11-15 record. Maybe Chad Buchanan and his cabinet pull the patience card, but perhaps they get a little wild and decide to shake things up.

If the second route were to come to fruition, we already know the Lakers of years past have expressed interest in Turner’s beautiful blend of relentless rim protection (career 2.2 BPG) and superb shooting (40.8% from deep on 5.0 attempts per game this season). If the rumors of LA’s inclination to utilize AD as the team’s starting power forward are pure, you would be hard-pressed in locating a more seamless fit than Turner next to Davis in the frontcourt.

STEVEN ADAMS | HOUSTON ROCKETS | $12.6 MILLI

After missing roughly the past 1.5 seasons, fan favorite/world’s potential strongest man Steven Adams is back to his bruising ways in the paint. Unfortunately, he has yet to find a steady role within Houston’s crowded depth chart. Being that he is on an expiring contract, would there be any harm done whatsoever in a potential Adams-Gabe Vincent exchange? The Rockets would definitely demand at least a second round draft pick for taking on the remainder of Vincent’s paychecks this + next season. But having Adams on board to deliver blistering screens and help control the glass would spell Anthony Davis from countless minutes banging with some of the league’s more bouldering bigs.

GARY HARRIS | ORLANDO MAGIC | $7.5 MILLI

As you start to drop down into the 7-figure earner bracket of the available pool of NBA hoopers, you start to decipher some examples of incredible value. Take Gary Harris for instance. One of the more reliable 3&D wing players across the league over the last decade, Harris (turned 30 in September) has struggled to reciprocate his typically solid defense this year and is currently on the fringe of Orlando’s list of rotation regulars. He is still knocking down an even 37% of his triple tries, though, and he feels like the type of player who the Lakers should have been targeting for a couple years now.

JEVON CARTER | CHICAGO BULLS | $6.5 MILLI

Where Gary Harris sits on the cusp of a regular rotation spot, Jevon Carter is straight up on the outside looking in. Buried behind a bureau of backcourt ballers (Josh Giddey, Coby White, Ayo Dosunmu, Ball, LaVine) with the Bulls, Carter could be classified as about as real a buyout candidate as you will find in the active NBA. If the Lakers felt the urge to make a move for him now as opposed to waiting for a potential buyout to transpire, they would do so with hopes that Carter could re-discover his ways as a dogged point of attack defender with a wet outside shot (career 38.1% from 3).