Lakers' Best Trade Targets at Deadline After Kyrie Irving Dealt to Mavericks

The Los Angeles Lakers' best shot at improving their roster around LeBron James and Anthony Davis before Thursday's NBA trade deadline might have just passed them by.

Bleacher Report's Chris Haynes reported the Dallas Mavericks agreed to acquire Kyrie Irving from the Brooklyn Nets.

When Irving reportedly requested a trade last week, Los Angeles was one of the more obvious potential destinations. ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported the Lakers and Nets "had several conversations on a potential deal."

Before news of the trade broke, Sam Amick of The Athletic reported the Lakers "were only looking to give the Nets the kind of return they're requesting if Irving was willing to accept the two-year, $78.6 million extension they could immediately agree on as part of the deal."

You can understand Los Angeles' hesitation in a full four-year, $198 million max extension down the road. However, it's unclear what alternatives are on the table that can make the team meaningfully better in the short term.

Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports reported Saturday a trade sending Russell Westbrook to the Utah Jazz for Mike Conley, Malik Beasley and Jarred Vanderbilt was a possibility.

Conley is averaging 10.7 points and 7.6 assists. A 36.4 percent three-point shooter this year, he and Beasley (35.8 percent) would help the Lakers' floor-spacing.

The 35-year-old is no longer the All-Star guard he was a few season ago, though, and his partially guaranteed $24.4 million salary would limit Los Angeles' financial flexibility in the summer.

On Jan. 12, USA Today's Jeff Zillgitt included the Lakers as a contender for Toronto Raptors guard Fred VanVleet.

VanVleet, who can opt out his $22.8 million salary for next year, is averaging 19.8 points, 6.5 assists and 1.6 steals. Beyond his playmaking, his two-way ability is sorely needed in Los Angeles' backcourt.

Michael Grange of Sportsnet reported Wednesday there's a chance the 28-year-old stays with the Raptors past the deadline and re-signs.

If the Lakers look in a different direction, Fischer also reported Charlotte Hornets guard Terry Rozier could head to the West Coast in a trade headlined by Westbrook.

Rozier is putting up a career-high 21.7 points per game but shooting 33.3 percent from the perimeter, his worst clip since 2016-17. Playing alongside James would likely help create more open opportunities for him.

In Houston Rockets guard Eric Gordon, the Lakers would get a piece that specifically addresses their lack of three-point options. Eric Pincus of B/R reported on Jan. 25 that L.A. is interested in Gordon, who's a career 36.9 percent shooter from long range.

This all goes back to the primary question for general manager Rob Pelinka: Is there a realistic trade you can make that significantly raises the Lakers' ceiling?

If the answer to that question is no, then it doesn't make a lot of sense—even if LeBron isn't all that thrilled with the decision—to exhaust some of your most valuable assets right now.