Lakers’ Top Trade Targets Revealed by NBA Insider

The Los Angeles Lakers righted the ship after losing four out of five on their road trip with back-to-back home wins to improve to 6-4 for the season. Lakers fans certainly feel better about their chances this season compared to last with Darvin Ham in charge, but they are still far from being championship contenders.

To fully become a dangerous team in the playoffs, the Lakers need reinforcements. They desperately need to add to their frontcourt rotation as they have a significant lack of depth behind Anthony Davis. This has been further exacerbated by injuries to Jarred Vanderbilt and Christian Wood to start the season.

Therefore, one can expect GM Rob Pelinka to be active in the trade market for another big man. In fact, ESPN's Dave McMenamin reported that there are two centers that the Lakers are considering for a mid-season addition.

"You look at Valančiūnas certainly is a name that's legitimately still on the Lakers radar and we'll have to see how Washington seasons go. We have Portland having a really terrible start to the year, but [Robert Williams III]'s back in the mix."

- Dave McMenamin, Hoops Collective Podcast

McMenamin said that Jonas Valančiūnas of the Washington Wizards and Robert Williams III of the Portland Trail Blazers are on LA's radar. Considering that both the Wizards and the Blazers are in the midst of rebuilds, they should be open to trading their capable veterans in exchange for draft compensation.

Valančiūnas is a bruiser who plays with a ton of physicality on the interior. He is a great post player on the offensive end and is a menace on the boards. His lack of shooting, however, can create spacing issues. He is also slow-footed on the defensive end, making him a less viable option in the postseason.

Williams, on the other hand, is a more prototypical modern center. He is a good rim protector and can switch out on the perimeter defensively while being a lob threat and around-the-rim finisher on the other end of the floor. The biggest risk surrounding him is the consistent injuries that he has had to deal with in recent years.

The NBA trade deadline is on February 6, 2025, so the Lakers have plenty of time to figure things out as more players inevitably end up on the trade block.

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