Lakers Reportedly Open to Trading Three First Round Picks to Build Out Roster

The 17-13 Los Angeles Lakers — riding high on Thursday following a big 115-113 Christmas Day win over another veteran-laden Pacific Division squad, the Golden State Warriors — haven't made a trade in two seasons.

Los Angeles vice president of basketball operations and general manager Rob Pelinka made a bunch of deals in the month or so leading up to the February 2023 trade deadline, balancing out his roster by ditching over-the-hill veteran guards Russell Westbrook, Patrick Beverley, and Kendrick Nunn — plus floor-spacing center Thomas Bryant — in exchange for point guard D'Angelo Russell, shooting guard Malik Beasley, forward Jarred Vanderbilt and center Mo Bamba. That reconfigured club saved its season, marching all the way to the Western Conference Finals in that spring's playoffs, where the Denver Nuggets swept them.

Pelinka made a few free agent changes that following summer, letting point guard Dennis Schroder walk in free agency while bringing in former Miami Heat point guard Gabe Vincent on a three-year deal, a move that made since at the time but has aged like milk. After an ice-cold playoff run, Malik Beasley departed for the Milwaukee Bucks, while Lonnie Walker IV (who replaced Beasley in Darvin Ham's playoff rotation) left for the Brooklyn Nets. Pelinka inked 3-and-D forward Taurean Prince via his team's biannual exception. He also allowed Bamba to seek opportunities elsewhere, bringing in Christian Wood and Jaxson Hayes to replace him on minimum deals.

The 2023-24 Lakers won four more games than the 2022-23 vintage while Pelinka opted not to make moves during last year's trade deadline. L.A. finished with an identical No. 7 seed in a better West and was eliminated in five games by Denver. This summer, Pelinka did significantly less fishing. He let free agents Spencer Dinwiddie and Prince walk, and replaced them with L.A.'s two summer draft picks, guards Dalton Knecht and Bronny James. Of the two new additions, only Knecht has cracked first-year head coach J.J. Redick's rotation. This year's team is currently right behind the 16-12 Nuggets in the West standings, occupying the West's No. 6 seed.

On Christmas, ahead of the Warriors victory, ESPN's Shams Charania took to the Worldwide Leader to unpack just how willing Pelinka would be to make major improvements to his roster.

"My sources in that Lakers front office tell me... they're open to moving that [3 first-round picks] in a potential trade but they want a player or players that they feel can get into this iteration of this team now."

Shams Charania on First Take.pic.twitter.com/xxqJ3u89CU
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) December 26, 2024

"When you think about LeBron James, Anthony Davis — how do we round out this team around both of those guys? They're monitoring the sellers around the NBA — Portland, Washington, Toronto, maybe Chicago," Charania revealed.

The Portland Trail Blazers sport several intriguing veterans who could help L.A., including 3-and-D combo forward Jerami Grant, former All-Defensive Team center Robert Williams III, formery lottery pick small forward Deni Avdija and point guard Anfernee Simons. The Washington Wizards' most appetizing veteran assets include 2023 Sixth Man of the Year guard Malcolm Brogdon and combo forward Kyle Kuzma, who won a title with the Lakers in 2020. The Toronto Raptors boast talented vets like swingman RJ Barrett, guard Immanuel Quickley, and center Jakob Poeltl. The Bulls have two former two-time All-Stars in wing Zach LaVine and center Nikola Vucevic, plus guards Coby White, Ayo Dosunmu and, yes, former Los Angeles No. 2 draft pick Lonzo Ball.

"My sources in that Lakers front office tell me they are open to moving [their three movable first round picks] in a potential trade but they want a player or players that they feel can get into this iteration of this team now, with LeBron James and Anthony Davis, but can also play for three, four, five [more] years under J.J. Redick as the coach," Charania said.

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