Lakers Pressured to 'Tread Carefully' at Trade Deadline

Nov 25, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard Gabe Vincent (7) defends a pass by Los Angeles Clippers guard Chris Paul (3) in the first half at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

The Los Angeles Lakers are in need of a versatile defender if they are to compete in the stacked Western Conference this season.

With a bottom 10-ranked defensive rating, the Lakers have struggled to contain opposing offenses, allowing the 17th-most points per game.

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The Lakers' defensive woes have gotten so bad that their head coach, JJ Redick, has used choice words with his players when describing their efforts.

“JJ really got on us and basically showed us ‘Y’all showing y’all are ass right now and it’s time to tighten up a little bit.’ You got to have some pride on the defensive end," Lakers center Deandre Ayton told reporters.

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While the Lakers would benefit from adding a player like Sacramento's Keon Ellis or New Orleans' Herbert Jones, their ability to spend ahead of the trade deadline could be limited with only one first-round pick vailable to trade this season.

The Athletic's John Hollinger named point guard Gabe Vincent and power forward Maxi Kleber as two potential players the Lakers could deal in an attempt to shed some money to avoid the dreaded first apron.

"One roster approach to max out both their present and future would be to deal for 2026-27 salary at the deadline, when they can still add money to their book and apron rules won’t block them from sign-and-trades or other maneuvers," Hollinger wrote for The Athletic.

Hollinger warned the Lakers to proceed with caution this deadline.

'Tread Carefully'

"Los Angeles must tread carefully because it’s so close to the first apron, where the Lakers are hard-capped, but adding $23 million in salary is possible if Vincent and Kleber are the outgoing salaries," Hollinger noted. "They can net even bigger fish by including Jarred Vanderbilt’s $11.5 million, but his contract is likely problematic because it runs through 2027-28."

Vincent and Kleber are each playing on contracts that will expire after the season, and sending them away could free up space if the Lakers stumble into a situation that would allow them to trade for a defensive star.

The NBA trade deadline isn't until Feb. 5, giving the Lakers plenty of time to make move. However, in a competitive Western Conference, the Lakers would benefit from improving their roster sooner rather than later. Currently, L.A. sits in third place in the West with an 18-7 record.

For more news and notes on the Los Angeles Lakers, visit Los Angeles Lakers on SI.