Ranking Lakers' Top Trade Targets After 2023 NBA Playoff Loss
The Los Angeles Lakers appeared to be headed nowhere for huge chunks of the 2022-23 NBA season, so they deserve credit for making it this far.
Their trade deadline makeover paid major dividends, and they eventually forced their way into the conference finals. For almost any other franchise, this campaign would go down as a smashing success.
But life doesn't work that way for the Lakers. In L.A., it's been championship-or-bust for a while now. The metric likely surfaced as soon as LeBron James landed in 2018, but it officially became the grading criteria once he was joined by Anthony Davis a year later.
That's why it's hard to think the franchise is satisfied with this roster as-is. The Lakers could spend their summer scouring for win-now talent, and if they look to the trade market to find that support, the following three players are logical targets.
3. Buddy Hield, Indiana Pacers
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Last summer, the Lakers sensed—as everyone else could see—they didn't have nearly enough shooting on the roster. That's why they mulled over making a move for both Buddy Hield and Myles Turner.
They never found the right price for that package, but a deal for Hield alone could be much more palatable.
The sharpshooter, who will turn 31 in December, is simply on a different calendar than the Pacers, who are in the lottery for the third consecutive year. Hield is also functionally a specialist, so it's not like Indiana can demand a huge haul.
He is, however, very good at that specialty, which happens to be one area the Lakers can never have enough of: outside shooting. L.A. essentially saved its season by adding shooters at the trade deadline, and it didn't bring anyone who can match Hield's volume or efficiency. Between his shooting and his ability to take defensive attention away from James and Davis, a single Hield trade could help this attack rocket up the efficiency ranks.
2. Kyrie Irving, Dallas Mavericks (Sign-and-Trade)
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The Lakers are reportedly "unlikely" to go after Kyrie Irving this summer, per The Athletic's Jovan Buha.
It's hard to believe that ship has sailed. Back at the deadline, the Lakers were willing to put their best two trade chips (2027 and 2029 first-round picks) on the table for Irving, per Bleacher Report's Chris Haynes. When Irving was dealt to Dallas instead, James didn't hold back his disappointment.
James has won a championship with Irving before. Both he and the Lakers seem convinced the two could win a title together again, particularly with Davis there to round out basketball's next Big Three.
As good as D'Angelo Russell has been since returning to L.A., he's not Irving. Russell is a good offensive player; Irving is one of the greatest isolation scorers in history. There would be a huge availability risk with the Irving-James-Davis trio, but the potentially sky-high reward might still be worth it.
1. Zach LaVine, Chicago Bulls
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The Lakers have done well to address some of their depth issues around James and Davis, but stars still win bigger than anyone in this league.
If L.A. could snag a top-shelf target like Zach LaVine this summer, that's the kind of move that could mold this team from a super-long-shot championship hopeful into a legitimate title contender.
And it hardly feels impossible. The Bulls might be ready to rebuild after investing heavily in this core and seeing zero return on that investment, and that process would grow exponentially easier without LaVine. It's hard to bottom out as long as he's on the roster, and it's hard to gain financial flexibility with his massive money on the books.
If Chicago is ready to move on, L.A. should make it happen. LaVine would be the perfect offensive player to slot alongside James and Davis, as he could improve the transition game, add more shot-creation, clean up the spacing and operate with or without the basketball.
