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Roughly 24 hours before the NBA trade deadline, the Los Angeles Lakers still have some work to do. Sources close to the team say that internally, there is a different sense of optimism about competing now, as well as the added runway trading for a 25-year-old Luka Doncic gives the team. The Lakers do still have a few levers to pull to maximize this roster, and Rob Pelinka acknowledged at least one immediate need.
The question, as always, is whether the market will provide enough options at a price Pelinka is willing to meet.
So, without further ado, and as quickly as we possibly can before this all gets proven moot as everything was before the Doncic trade, let's see how the Lakers can give him and LeBron James a real chance at competing for a championship this season.
Center of Attention
The Lakers needed a center even before trading Anthony Davis. Now, their center rotation of healthy players on actual NBA contracts goes as follows: Jaxson Hayes. That's it.
Hayes will look better as a lob threat next to creators like Doncic, James and Austin Reaves, but he's still susceptible to foul trouble and has already missed two different chunks of the season with injuries.
Christian Wood has been out all season and the ambiguity surrounding that situation leads one to believe he will not return at all. Maxi Kleber broke his foot in late January and is also not expected to return this season. Christian Koloko and Trey Jemison III are both solid by two-way player standards, but if the Lakers are going to compete for a championship, they'll need a lot more than that.
Pelinka said at Doncic's introductory press conference that he knows the Lakers need more help at the position, but also said the market for centers has dried up and that he's probably looking to make a smaller move to shore up the rotation. This may have been a negotiation tactic and by “dried up” he probably meant in terms of players available at prices he can muster, but if we take him at his word, the Lakers will have to get creative.
Sources indicate that the Lakers are shopping Kleber and draft capital to acquire a healthy big. They're also obviously open to moving Wood, Cam Reddish (who has been absent lately for personal reasons) and, again, lower-tier draft picks/swaps to land a center, as well, but that kind of move usually materializes once all other options are out the door.
If Pelinka does decide to go for it with their one remaining first-rounder, keep an eye on names like Nic Claxton or Robert Williams III. The Lakers have spoken to both the Brooklyn Nets and Portland Trail Blazers respectively about both, but are nervous about breaking up their core rotation at this time.
Claxton makes $27 million and would require sending out both Rui Hachimura and Gabe Vincent, plus the first rounder, a second, and perhaps a swap.
Williams makes considerably less than Claxton at $12.4 million, but Portland is seeking an unprotected first-rounder for him and, given his injury history, the Lakers aren't over-the-moon about that price.
Perimeter Options
Between Doncic, James and Reaves, the Lakers' need for initiation and creativity is pretty much handled. Gabe Vincent has actually played quite well of late, too, which has stabilized the bench minutes to a degree. When JJ Redick figures out how to stagger minutes for his primary creators, bench offense should no longer be a concern in ways it has since trading D'Angelo Russell.
Trading Max Christie does also mean the Lakers sent out their best perimeter defender, which Redick mentioned during the blowout over the Los Angeles Clippers Tuesday night. This is also where trading Vincent would have some ramifications, as he's their last true point-of-attack defender at point guard and they likely won't find a player at his level defensively who can also spread the floor the way he has of late.
Bruce Brown remains somewhat of an option for the Lakers, according to a source, but the avenues to landing him are pretty difficult to plan out. Either the Lakers would have to move Hachimura, Wood, Hayes and Reddish, plus a second, or they would have to find a way to dip far enough below the first apron to sign him via buyout. Neither seem particularly likely right now.
If the Lakers are able to clear a roster spot and have the necessary flexibility, it seems more likely they address this via a more realistic buyout option than Brown.
Odds And Ends
One important factor to consider as the Lakers hold tight to their 2031 first-rounder is how little flexibility they have win draft compensation beyond this year. They already don't have their own pick this summer, then owe the '27 first to the Utah Jazz (top-four protected). Their '29 pick is now property of the Dallas Mavericks after the Doncic trade. So, because of all that and the Stepien Rule, which makes it illegal to trade back-to-back first-rounders, the Lakers can't trade a first outright until '31 at the earliest.
If they do trade that pick, then they wouldn't be able to trade the 2032 pick next year when it opens up.
This summer and beyond, the Lakers will have almost $40 million in expiring salaries between Vincent, Kleber and Hachimura if none of them are moved before Thursday. Sources say the Lakers would prefer to optimize that financial flexibility next year by attaching it to a first-round pick.
So, if the Lakers do attach draft capital this week, look for it to be of the second-round or pick swap variety.
