3 Lakers Who Could Still Be Traded After Anthony Davis
By Chris Schad
Saturday night’s trade that saw the Los Angeles Lakers trade Anthony Davis to the Dallas Mavericks in exchange for Luka Doncic was one of the most surprising trades in recent memory. But it could be just the beginning of what could be a busy four-day stretch in advance of Thursday’s NBA trade deadline.
The Lakers solved one issue by trading Davis before he was set to become a free agent next summer. But they created another issue by trading away Davis’s defense and rebounding ability in the frontcourt.
With the Lakers already mentioned in several rumors, it appears that another deal is coming. And if it wasn’t obvious by trading a nine-time All-Star, no player is safe ahead of the deadline.
So which players could be on their way out of Los Angeles? Here’s a look at three players that could be checking their phones frequently in the next several days.
1. Rui Hachimura, PF
The Los Angeles Lakers acquired Rui Hachimura from the Washington Wizards at the 2023 trade deadline and things were trending in the right direction. After three lost seasons in Washington, Hachimura averaged 9.6 points and 4.7 rebounds per game in the final 33 games and signed a three-year, $51 million contract extension the following fall.
While Hachimura made his way into the starting lineup and improved his 3-point shot to shoot .424 from downtown the past two seasons there have been more frustrating moments than positive ones. With his questionable defense in the post, the 26-year-old seems to have reached his ceiling and it’s led to The Athletic’s Jovan Buha believing most NBA executives believing Hachimura has “neutral value” ahead of the deadline.
“If you want to trade Rui…you’ve got to attach assets,” Buha said on his “Buha’s Block” podcast last week. “...Rui is a guy that depending on the night, looks like a starter or a fringe rotation player.”
Hachimura alone isn’t going to bring Jakob Poeltl to Los Angeles but his $17 million salary could play a key role. The Athletic’s John Hollinger pointed out that the Lakers are facing constraints by being over the NBA’s first salary apron in the new collective bargaining agreement and capped at the second apron and it was a reason why Max Christie was included in Saturday’s deal despite signing a four-year, $32 million contract extension last summer.
“Those constraints all but forced L.A. to include Christie – who I had been told he had been re-signed…this past summer as much to be a trade piece as to be a keeper on the Lakers’ roster – with a salary dump of [Jalen Hood-Schifino] to Utah completing the circle.”
Hachimura was relied upon to have a key role on the Lakers but it hasn’t panned out. With the front office needing to execute some gymnastics to pull off another trade, Hachimura feels like a player that could be moved and help the Lakers acquire what they really need at the deadline.