Lakers News: Expert Thinks LA Could Trade for All-Star Point Guard Before Deadline
The 2023 NBA trade deadline is slowly approaching. We are less than one month away, and the rumors are getting louder and louder, especially the trade rumors surrounding the Los Angeles Lakers.
L.A. is playing a lot better since the start of the season, but it's evident that they are one good trade away from truly competing in the Western Conference and extending LeBron James' championship window.
Bleacher Report's Dan Favale predicts a trade with the Toronto Raptors that can significantly help the purple and gold and make them into serious contenders.
The Lakers may not want to mortgage so much of their future with Anthony Davis injured, but Peak Fred VanVleet keeps Los Angeles' playoff hopes alive without him. And a full-strength Lakers team becomes exponentially more lethal with FVV alongside A.D. and LeBron James. Different permutations of this scenario abound. The Lakers can send out the expirings of Kendrick Nunn and Patrick Beverley to make the math work. They can also expand the deal to include swaps in 2026 and 2028 and see whether that gets the Raptors to send out Gary Trent Jr. while taking on the final few months of Russell Westbrook's deal.
I don't know if Raptors President Masai Ujiri would do something like this, but it is a bold prediction by Favale.
Adding a player like VanVleet and Gary Trent would be a plus for Los Angeles. The 28-year-old is averaging 18.2 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 6.3 assists this season. He's only 6'1", but he is a hooper who creates his own shot, finishes excellent at the rim, and even though he's having a down year behind the arc; he's a more than capable three-point shooter/maker.
Now, just because the Lakers want a trade doesn't mean they'll trade away anything for anyone, and just because they trade, it wouldn't mean they'll suddenly become good.
A trade is necessary; however, it needs to be the right trade and the right players who will fit in with Lebron James and Anthony Davis to help make a strong push for the playoffs.
A ton of games are left for the purple and gold, and there is still time to weigh their options on what trade could be best for them.
