NBA Trade Rumors: Highlighting eight plausible trade targets for the Los Angeles Lakers heading into the offseason.
As the NBA offseason quickly approaches, the Los Angeles Lakers will be one of the teams on the hunt for adding a third All-Star player via trade. As the Lakers try to continue to build a championship roster around LeBron James and Anthony Davis, the belief is that they're going to be in on nearly every big-name trade candidate that hits the block.
Assuming that ends up being the case, we rank eight All-Star trade candidates from least to most plausible for the Lakers.
Honorable mention: Klay Thompson, Golden State Warriors
In what would be one of the wildest moves of the NBA offseason, the Los Angeles Lakers could pursue a move for Klay Thompson this summer. Because of the cap gymnastics that would have to take place, if the Lakers were to land Klay, it would almost certainly have to come via a sign and trade. But that seems like something that could come to fruition if Klay truly wanted to play for the Lakers.
The biggest reason why Klay to the Lakers wouldn't be considered all that likely is because there's no guarantee Los Angeles would view him as a star that would put him over the top in the Western Conference. And heading into the offseason, that's the goal the Lakers will have in their pursuits for an All-Star caliber player.
Still, if the Lakers were to land Klay via sign and trade this offseason, it also wouldn't be all that surprising.
7. Mikal Bridges, Brooklyn Nets
Even though the Brooklyn Nets have resisted the temptation to trade Mikal Bridges for a huge offer on the open market, I still believe there's going to be an outside chance that it will all come to fruition this summer. There's a very real chance that the Nets miss out on Donovan Mitchell or another star player via trade, which is likely their priority heading into the offseason. If that does end up happening, the Nets may have no other option than to seriously consider trading Bridges this summer.
With just two years remaining on his contract, the Nets' front office is on the clock. They must sell Bridges in the future and if they aren't able to do that, rebuilding the roster can't be completely off the table. There's at least a non-zero chance that Bridges gets shopped this summer and if he does, the Los Angeles Lakers would likely be interested.
It would take a lot for the Nets to part ways with Bridges and the Lakers may not have enough draft capital to get a deal done, but they'd be among the interested teams this offseason.
6. Kevin Durant, Phoenix Suns
At least for now, the Phoenix Suns aren't in a place where they'd be open to trading Kevin Durant. However, as we've seen time and time before, things can change quickly in the NBA. And because there's a small chance that the Suns could reverse courses this offseason, the Los Angeles Lakers should have Durant on their trade radar. Adding KD to a core of LeBron James and Anthony Davis would make a ton of sense, and would make a great story heading into the start of next season.
The Suns don't have much future flexibility and two future first-round picks from the Lakers in the post-LeBron years could prove to be appealing to a team like the Suns. Again, the Suns would have to be sold on such a move. But, if that were to happen, the Lakers could be huge beneficiaries.
KD and LeBron finishing their careers together would be quite the story. In the end, this seems more NBA 2K than reality. However, because of their respective situations, it also can't be completely discounted.
5. Donovan Mitchell, Cleveland Cavaliers
Even though there seems to be a "growing sentiment" that Donovan Mitchell could be preparing to sign a long-term extension with the Cleveland Cavaliers, I still believe he's going to be the one All-Star player that most teams are going to have their eyes on. Until Mitchell puts pen to paper, Mitchell is going to be a player that many teams across the league are going to dream about. And the Los Angeles Lakers are one of them. It was recently reported that the Lakers have Mitchell as their No. 1 priority heading into the offseason, over a player like Trae Young.
If the Lakers are able to swing a trade for Mitchell, it could pay huge dividends for the team both in the short and long term. Mitchell would help the Lakers win a championship in the LeBron window and would give Los Angeles building blocks even after LeBron calls it a career.
In a perfect world, the Lakers would be able to add Mitchell this offseason and would be set for the next 3-5 seasons. The question is, will this perfect scenario come to full fruition for the Lakers? And would Mitchell even want to relocate to the West Coast?
4. Darius Garland, Cleveland Cavaliers
There seems to be a growing sense that if Donovan Mitchell does sign a long-term extension with the Cleveland Cavaliers this offseason, it could spell the beginning of the end of Darius Garland with the team. Whether or not that will actually happen remains to be seen, but there is a scenario this summer in which Mitchell signs an extension and then Garland is shopped for a player that fits better long-term next to Mitchell. That's why Garland checks in at No. 4 on this list of plausible trade targets for the Lakers heading into the offseason.
Theoretically, if the Lakers end up missing out on Trae Young and Donovan Mitchell, or if they don't hit the trade market, Garland could be the next best option for Los Angeles. He'd be a good fit next to LeBron and AD and would help take significant offensive pressure off both of them.
It would be interested to see what the asking price would be for Garland. I'd have to imagine the Cavs would want rotation players and perhaps a first-round pick or two. That's certainly a price that the Lakers would be able to meet if it came to it.
3. Dejounte Murray, Atlanta Hawks
Before the Trae Young trade whispers, it was Dejounte Murray whom the Los Angeles Lakers were hoping to land at this past year's NBA Trade Deadline. In the end, a deal never came to fruition for both sides but there was a point in the weeks leading up to the deadline where it appeared it was somewhat of a foregone conclusion that the Hawks were going to trade Murray to the Lakers. As the Hawks continue to decide which player they'd more want to part ways with this offseason (Young or Murray), there's at least a small chance that Murray finds himself back on the trade block in the coming months.
If the Hawks would rather trade Murray over Young, the Lakers would likely still be interested in a potential swap. Even more so if a player like Donovan Mitchell never hits the trade block either. And while Murray may not bring the hype that Mitchell or Young would, he's still one of the most underrated two-way backcourt players in the league.
Adding Murray would certainly help the Lakers as they look to take another step forward in the Western Conference next season and would solidify the backcourt moving forward.
2. Draymond Green, Golden State Warriors
If the Los Angeles Lakers wanted to truly get crazy and chaotic this offseason, they could target Draymond Green via trade. As unlikely as it may seem, I do believe that acquiring Draymond from the Golden State Warriors wouldn't be as difficult as some may think it to be. The Warriors are likely looking to reshuffle their roster a bit heading into the offseason and with the emergence of Jonathan Kuminga, swapping Draymond for a collection of other rotation players could be exactly the type of deal that Golden State could be heading into the offseason looking for.
The big question is whether Draymond would be a good fit for what the Lakers are trying to build. And quite frankly, I'm not sure he would be. Because of his lack of shooting, he may not be a great offensive fit next to AD and LeBron. But defensively, there's no question the Lakers would be nightmarish to play against.
In a way, the idea of Draymond may be better than the reality of it. Nevertheless, I'd imagine he's a player the Lakers could explore making a move for under the right circumstances.
1. Trae Young, Atlanta Hawks
At least in my opinion, I still firmly believe that the most realistic or plausible All-Star target that the Los Angeles Lakers will have heading into the offseason is Trae Young. In the end, I believe he makes too much sense for the Lakers to punt on. He's going to be relatively cheap compared to other big names that may hit the trade market and would be an ideal fit next to LeBron James and Anthony Davis. If the Lakers were to land Young this summer, they'd immediately emerge as a real player in the Western Conference next season.
Young is also still just 25 years old and would give the Lakers a strong piece they could build around when LeBron walks away. What the Lakers would have to like most about a potential trade of Young is that they would be able to acquire their All-Star target while keeping plenty of depth around their big 3.
As we've seen this season, if a team is going to win a championship, they're going to need more than a big 3. Teams need depth around their star players to be considered real NBA title contenders. And the Lakers could feature just that next season if they make the right move this summer. Maybe Young ends up being that move for Los Angeles.