Lakers Trades to Consider After 1st Wave of NBA Free Agency

The Los Angeles Lakers kept plenty busy during 2022 NBA free agency, injecting their roster with youth, athleticism and (hopefully) more shot-making.

Still, it feels like their biggest change of the summer hasn't happened yet.

The trade market offers a different level of transformation, and the Lakers can buy bigger there than they could afford to in free agency. What options could they explore? The following three trade ideas seem worth pursuing.

Betting Big on Kyrie Irving

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BROOKLYN, NY - APRIL 25: Kyrie Irving #11 of the Brooklyn Nets smiles during Round 1 Game 4 of the 2022 NBA Playoffs on April 25, 2022 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2022 NBAE (Photo by Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images)

Trade Idea: Russell Westbrook and 2027 first-round pick to Nets for Kyrie Irving and Joe Harris

There's been enough trade smoke between the Lakers and Irving to think the union will happen at some point, but they still have to figure out the fine print with the Brooklyn Nets.

The current sticking point, as relayed by The Athletic's Jovan Buha (h/t Silver Screen and Roll), is that the Brooklyn Nets want two first-round picks in an Irving-Westbrook swap, and the Lakers only want to part with one.

There is still enough time that L.A. doesn't need to meet that demand yet, particularly with no other obvious suitors surfacing. However, the Lakers could offer a compromise of not including an additional first but taking Joe Harris off of the Nets' hands.

Brooklyn would then have financial relief and a future first-rounder, while L.A. would have its third star in Irving plus a lights-out shooter in Harris.

Brokering a Blockbuster with the Pacers

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Trade Idea: Russell Westbrook, Talen Horton-Tucker and two future first-round picks to Pacers for Myles Turner, Buddy Hield and T.J. McConnell

For all of the attention given to an Irving trade, it might sometimes feel like that is LA's only option.

It isn't. In fact, it isn't even the only trade the front office is mulling at the moment, as Heavy.com's Sean Deveney reported:

"Rather than going all-in for Irving, a move supported by star forward LeBron James, some within the organization want to make a wider deal that would send out Russell Westbrook, draft picks and perhaps guard Talen Horton-Tucker for the veteran Indiana duo of shooter Buddy Hield and center Myles Turner."

While the Lakers wouldn't leave this exchange with a third star, they would have a deeper roster with fewer injury worries than Irving would bring. Turner could bulk up the frontcourt with paint protection and spot-up shooting, Hield would add a high-volume long-range threat, and McConnell could carve his niche as the bench's offensive organizer and defensive energizer.

Getting Eric Gordon

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Trade Idea: Talen Horton-Tucker, Kendrick Nunn and two future second-round picks to Rockets for Eric Gordon

It's unfair to label Gordon as a consolation prize for the Purple and Gold after the season he just had. However, it's probably safe to consider him the third priority among the other options discussed here.

Still, prying the 33-year-old Gordon away from the rebuilding Rockets would make a ton of sense—providing they value Horton-Tucker enough to consider him a serviceable centerpiece in the exchange.

Gordon could check a lot of boxes in LA.

His three-ball bounced back in a big way this past season, and he wound up posting a career-best 41.2 three-point percentage. He remains a feisty, willing defender, and he offers a pinch of shot-creation when needed. The fact he is a reliable veteran should also appeal to the Lakers, who got noticeably younger and less experienced over the offseason.