Lakers May Only Have 3 'Off-Limits' Players Ahead of Trade Deadline

The Los Angeles Lakers are 13-11 to start off their 2024-25 season, good for just the No. 8 seed in the crowded Western Conference. Los Angeles is a scant 1.5 games ahead of the No. 12-seeded Sacramento Kings (12-13), who with a club comprising 2023 All-Stars De'Aaron Fox, Domantas Sabonis, DeMar DeRozan and perpetual Sixth Man of the Year candidate Malik Monk, are no pushovers, despite playing no defense. That is to say, the Lakers could easily finish the year outside of even the play-in race, if they're not careful.

The J.J. Redick-coached team likely needs to make a move if it truly hopes to even contend as a first round playoff spoiler.

Despite having limited trade assets in terms of draft equity, the Lakers are seen as possessing enough mid-sized contracts to be able to get a deal done if they do indeed want to improve the club at this year's February 6 deadline, opines Keith Smith of Spotrac. Smith notes that, beyond All-NBA superstars LeBron James and Anthony Davis, there is an appetizing third, much younger player who is likely off the table in most trade talks.

“Los Angeles has tradable salaries,” Smith notes. “The only really off-limits players will probably be James, Davis and possibly Knecht (less so for the rookie, but they aren’t just tossing him in deals either). D'Angelo Russell, Rui Hachimura, Jarred Vanderbilt, any of the minimum players and, yes, the once-untouchable Austin Reaves could all be moved… For the Lakers, the reason to make an early move is simple: They need to climb the standings.”

Of course, James and Davis could handily demand to be dealt, which would torpedo the team's present but hopefully shore up its future draft equity.

Russell, 28, is on an expiring $18.7 million deal. He's been demoted to a reserve role, after his puzzling late-game decision-making and lackluster defense confounded Redick. The Ohio State product is averaging 12.9 points on .422/.343/.867 shooting splits, 5.1 assists and 2.7 rebounds a night. His value may be more about how he can help open up cap space for a new team next summer, when he reaches free agency, than any on-the-court contributions. Vanderbilt, who has missed most of the last two seasons, is in just the first year of a four-season, $48 million contract extension deal he inked with L.A. in the summer of 2023. But he's on a fairly affordable deal, is pretty young, and could entice teams with his defensive upside. Perhaps.

Hachimura has the most present-day trade value, as a solid-if-erratic two-way forward who's mostly been played out of position at small forward to accommodate the aging James. He's owed a quite reasonable $35.3 million across the next two seasons.

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