5 Realistic Lakers Trade Targets at the 2025 Deadline
By Cem Yolbulan
The February 6 trade deadline is right around the corner and Lakers fans are desperately hoping for moves from their front office. LeBron James and Anthony Davis are having excellent seasons and with the right team around them, they could potentially carry the Lakers to a deep postseason run.
The Lakers can trade two first-round picks and multiple pick swaps at the deadline to improve the roster. They could use young players like Max Christie or Dalton Knecht to sweeten any deal while using the likes of Rui Hachimura, Gabe Vincent, and Jarred Vanderbilt as matching salaries. Let's take a look at who the Lakers could realistically acquire.
Jonas Valanciunas
The veteran big man has long been a rumored Lakers target. When he was a free agent last offseason, it was reported that Valanciunas was on LeBron James' shortlist of players he would take a pay cut for.
Whether there was sufficient interest from the Lakers in the summer is unclear but Valanciunas ended up signing a three-year, $30 million deal with the Wizards. Washington is in a rebuilding mode and is looking to part ways with its veterans in exchange for future assets.
Anthony Davis recently put pressure on the Lakers front office to trade for another big man. While Valanciunas, due to his slow foot on defense and lack of shooting on offense, isn't the perfect fit next to AD, he may be the most easily acquirable center on the market. This makes him an obvious and realistic target for the Lakers.
The 32-year-old center would likely cost the Lakers second-round picks and the matching salary of Gabe Vincent or Jarred Vanderbilt. Valanciunas would give the Lakers a dominant post player with an offensive rebounding element to his game.