The Los Angeles Lakers are in a pickle. Following LeBron James’ high ankle sprain on top of Anthony Davis's calf strain, the defending champions have to navigate the next month or so without their two fulcrums while avoiding slipping too far in the standings.

At full strength, the Lakers don’t need to make any upgrades. Yes, their 3-point shooting and rim protection have been shaky, and they could use a 3-and-D wing and frontcourt insurance. But these are relatively minor tweaks. The Lakers made shots when it counts in the bubble, still have the top-ranked D, and Davis will slide to center for key playoffs minutes.

As currently constituted, though, the Lakers need reinforcements on both ends. ASAP.

Since James went down early in the second quarter on Saturday against the Atlanta Hawks, the Lakers — despite their superb group of role players — have lost three games. After a noncompetitive 128-11 defeat to the New Orleans Pelicans on Tuesday, they have been outscored 310-264 since James went down (not including 1Q vs. ATL). They are 0-4 without James and Davis, including the Hawks contest.

With one day until the trade deadline, the Lakers need more than cosmetic fixes — at least until late May.

LeBron's injury “certainly will impact what our mindset is come trade deadline time,” Frank Vogel said. “When you have two key guys that are gonna be out, you look at the trade market differently and obviously the buyout market differently.”

Inconveniently, the Lakers are hamstrung in their trading options. They're nearly hard-capped with a desolate cabinet of draft capital, and they'd rather not part with Talen Horton-Tucker nor their only tradable first-round pick (2027). Kyle Kuzma, Dennis Schröder, and Alex Caruso are vital cogs of the present and future (presumably), and won't move unless a game-changer is netted in return.

The two names swirling in trade rumors have been Montrezl Harrell and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope. Here's where it gets interesting for general manager Rob Pelinka.

Since Harrell bonded with Jeanie Buss, the 2019-20 Sixth Man of the Year has played his best basketball as a Laker. From a hoops perspective, Lakers fans would be heartbroken to part with the hard-working and productive Harrell. But whether L.A. truly has faith in his defense remains a question. A trade might reveal the answer.

Even before James' injury, the Lakers were reportedly underwhelmed by Marc Gasol's impact. As The Athletic's Jovan Buha pointed out, Gasol and Harrell have actually been serviceable as positional defenders, but another rim-runner and protector would add one more dimension upfront, especially after the team did not retain Damian Jones.

Arguably, wing depth is more paramount without James orchestrating the flow. As Vogel and Schröder have stated, the Lakers need to take and make more 3s without their stars — an issue since mid-January.

Entering Tuesday, the Lakers ranked 22nd in 3-point percentage and 25th in attempts per game. They have a hard time generating open looks via kickouts without James (THT has improved in this area). Troublingly, the Lakers did knock down 18-of-37 from deep against New Orleans, to no avail. With Devontae Cacok and Markieff Morris as their starting bigs, the Lakers surrendered 52.2% shooting.

Trading Caldwell-Pope, the longest-tenured Laker, would be an emotional hit, too. But he has been cold for months, and he carries one of their more tradable contracts ($12 million in 2020-21).

“The Lakers have been working the phones since the LeBron injury looking for wing players,” ESPN's Brian Windhorst said Tuesday on The Jump. “They have discussed Kentavious Caldwell-Pope in trade scenarios, but are unwilling to include a draft pick or Talen Horton-Tucker.”

This shorthanded iteration of the Lakers can maybe scrap out a few wins, but they'll need some infusion of playmaking and scoring without James and Davis.

The Lakers also have to consider their finances. L.A. is facing a massive luxury tax bill — assuming they re-sign Schröder, Caruso, and Horton-Tucker — so clearing future salary such as Caldwell-Pope's or flipping Harrell before he declines his player option is fiscally beneficial.

All that said, here are five moves L.A. can consider to tread water until their superstars return.

5. Sign Andre Drummond

Numerous reports indicate the 27-year-old is literally close to joining the Lakers.

I made the case for signing Drummond, so I won't rehash it. In short: he provides elite size and rebounding, and offers a solid two-way presence around the rim. (Against New Orleans, the Lakers were outrebounded by 19 and surrendered 62 points in the paint.)

Plus, Drummond should be rejuvenated by joining the starting lineup of a contender ahead of free agency.

Unless the Cleveland Cavaliers can find a trade partner and a deal is worked out, expect the two-time All-Star to be wearing purple-and-gold soon.

4. Trade Wes Matthews and a second-round pick for Austin Rivers

Rivers, who hasn't played for the New York Knicks since Feb. 15, is the precise type of player to help the Lakers for the time being. He's a confident ball handler, paint attacker, and shooter, and he plays excellent wing defense. His experience (45 playoff games) should appeal to L.A., too.

The Knicks are comfortably under the cap, and Rivers' value might be at a low point. If the Lakers can snag him for Matthews (amidst a disappointing campaign) and a second-rounder, they should pull the trigger.

3. Trade Harrell and a second-round pick for George Hill

RECOMMENDED (Article Continues Below)
Stephen A. Smith, Lakers, Nuggets, LeBron James, LeBron Lakers

Jackson Stone ·

Dejounte Murray with question marks around him

Shervon Fakhimi ·

cG9zdDoyODA1NzQ2-thumbnail

Peter Sampson ·

This one would sting, but it might make the Lakers better.

“Both Los Angeles teams and Philadelphia have expressed interest” in Hill, per Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report. “The Thunder’s asking price appears clear. ‘They’re willing to [both] take back and trade salary for draft compensation.'”

Their salaries align. Trezz's pseudo-expiring contract tied to a draft selection may appeal to PickLord Sam Presti. In general, an opportunity to flip Trezz for a quality wing — assuming Drummond joins the fray — might be a prudent business move.

1. Trade Harrell, Caldwell-Pope, Jared Dudley, and a 2027 first-round pick for DeMar DeRozan

How bold is Pelinka willing to be? The San Antonio Spurs are shopping DeRozan and would likely request either Horton-Tucker and/or a first-rounder in return. The 31-year-old Compton-native would give L.A. an All-Star-caliber scorer (20.6 PPG) to lean on for now, and an elite third option to match up with, say, the Brooklyn Nets.

Because of DeRozan's $27 million expiring salary, the Lakers would need to include both Harrell and KCP (and a throw-in, like Dudley), in addition to the first-rounder.

It's a major shake-up, but if the Lakers could pull it off while adding Drummond and a shooter (JJ Redick?) via buyout, they would become a more potent group.

One final note: Caldwell-Pope and Harrell are Klutch clients, and the Lakers have a relationship to protect there. It doesn't mean they can't be dealt, but the Lakers won't want to blindside them with a trade to an undesirable destination.

“Most trade deadline situations, there’s a lot of talk that results in nothing and that’s my expectation as a coach,” Vogel said Tuesday.

We'll see.