Lakers, Nets Could Make Offseason Trade

The Brooklyn Nets are on the first day of their offseason, and it should be an exciting one for the team.

With oodles of cap space and opportunity, the Nets can completely transform their team into a playoff contender next year.

Bleacher Report writer Zach Buckley believes that the Nets could get better if they were to trade Nic Claxton to the Los Angeles Lakers for Rui Hachimura, Dalton Knecht, a future first-round pick and a future first-round pick swap.

"They're about to wrap up their second consecutive season with a sub-.400 winning percentage. And despite the losing, they're woefully short on young, blue-chip talent. This asset-rich return could help change that, no matter if Brooklyn would view Knecht and the draft picks as keepers or trade chips," Buckley wrote of the Nets.

The Lakers' willingness to make this deal is contingent upon their playoff performance. If they fall short of a title because of their lack of size in the post, Los Angeles could be looking to make a deal.

"They made that since-rescinded trade for Mark Williams for a reason. A defense with Luka Dončić, Austin Reaves and a 40-year-old LeBron James on the perimeter is crying out for paint protection. An offense with those three creators, meanwhile, can maximize a close-range finisher. Claxton, a career 63.5 percent shooter who's about to crack the top 10 in blocks in per game for the third time in six seasons, checks both boxes with ease," Buckley writes.

The Lakers and Nets made a trade in December with Dorian Finney-Smith and D'Angelo Russell, so the two sides are familiar with each other, but it remains to be seen if they will be trade partners in the future.