Lakers News: With Raptors Active As Trade Deadline Nears, What Could They Offer LA?
The Toronto Raptors have reached the end of an era, with their 2019 NBA title-winning squad being fully dismantled (outside of backup center Chris Boucher) following Tuesday's trade of Pascal Siakam to the Indiana Pacers in exchange for Bruce Brown, Jordan Nwora and three first round draft picks, as first reported by Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.
The New Orleans Pelicans are also shipping out Kira Lewis to Toronto in the deal.
With OG Anunoby, who was recently dealt to the Knicks for Immanuel Quickley and RJ Barrett, and now Siakam off the team, Toronto has fully committed to a rebuild, leaving a few more pieces who don't fit with that timeline potentially available for trade.
I published a piece detailing some specific trade targets for LA with some in-depth rationale as to why both teams would agree, which you can view here.
Gary Trent Jr. and Dennis Schröder are the two prime candidates to me. While Trent Jr. is only 25, he's on an expiring contact and as a 2nd-round pick, he'll become an unrestricted free agent.
Toronto has to allocate money for pieces like Quickley and Scottie Barnes, and while Trent Jr. is a solid shooter, there's no guarantee that they keep him around, as they'll likely possess a high draft pick given their 16-25 record at the moment.
Schröder, having spent time with the Lakers multiple times before, fills some of LA's holes – specifically as it pertains to point-of-attack defense and playmaking. He's a realistic target given that he's disgruntled, and has since lost his starting job to Immanuel Quickley.
Neither of these players should cost much given their contract situation, and LA has some younger pieces to offer in exchange. In an ideal world, dealing for both of them in exchange for Jalen Hood-Schifino and Rui Hachimura could make the Lakers legitimate contenders.
