Surprise Lakers Targets If LA Can't Find a Star at 2024 Trade Deadline
We're in the thick of NBA trade season and, as per usual, folks have plenty to say about the Los Angeles Lakers.
By this point, you know the needs they're trying to fill and the players most popularly picked to fill them. From high-profile targets like Zach LaVine and Dejounte Murray to role players like Buddy Hield, Bojan Bogdanović and Alex Caruso, there are names that come up over and over again as potential future Lakers.
The following five players aren't in that group. They could, however, nevertheless wind up in Purple and Gold, as they're capable of scratching this squad's itches for floor-spacers, point-of-attack stoppers, three-and-D wings and defensive-minded backup bigs.
Jevon Carter, PG, Chicago Bulls
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While the Lakers will need to improve their offense to crack the playoff field, they'll also have to upgrade their defense if they want any shot at contention. They sit 13th in efficiency on the game's less glamorous end. When they were last crowned champs in 2019-20, they ranked third in the category.
Give this group a dominant defense again, and suddenly it won't have to climb as high offensively to be a potential problem in the postseason. The front office seemingly recognizes as much, as B/R's Chris Haynes relayed that a "point-of-attack defender" is on the club's wish list.
A Jevon Carter trade would check that box. The 28-year-old has had a disappointing debut with the Chicago Bulls (which could bump his trade cost into the bargain bin), but just last season, he was giving the championship-chasing Milwaukee Bucks a solid 22.3 minutes of action per night. He is a tireless defender who stays glued to his matchup the full 94 feet of the court. Opponents are never comfortable when he hits the hardwood.
While defense is clearly his strength, he brings enough offense to not get schemed off the floor. He has always shown a knack for ball control (career 1.6 assists against 0.6 turnovers per outing), and while his shooting rates are down this season, they were more than adequate in Milwaukee last season (42.3/42.1/81.6 slash line).
De'Andre Hunter, SF/PF, Atlanta Hawks
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The Lakers, like many other contenders, have eyes on the possible Atlanta Hawks fire sale. If teams inquire about anyone other than Trae Young or Jalen Johnson, the Hawks are willing to talk, per The Athletic's John Hollinger.
L.A. has often been linked to Murray, and given its shooting woes (28th in threes, 20th in three-point percentage), it's surely keeping tabs on coveted sharpshooter Bogdan Bogdanović, too. While the Lakers are perusing the Hawks' catalogue, though, they could also be drawn to De'Andre Hunter.
Originally included as part of the package to acquire Anthony Davis, Hunter has authored a solid career built around steady outside shooting and average-to-above-average defense. He's also battled the injury bug quite a bit and never posted the kind of production the Hawks surely wanted to see from the 2019 draft's No. 4 pick.
Remove him from those expectations, though, and take him for what he is—an upgraded version of the rock-solid Taurean Prince—and Hunter is the kind of player who could strengthen L.A.'s wing collection at both ends. His on-paper fit with LeBron James and Anthony Davis seems skinny-jeans snug, as he's splashing 40 percent of his catch-and-shoot threes (and, intriguingly, 40.6 percent of his perimeter pull-ups) and is versatile enough to shuffle through various defensive assignments.
The biggest hang-up here is the fact he's in the first season of a four-year, $90 million deal, but if that elevated pay rate is factored into his trade cost, that may not scare off the Lakers. It shouldn't, in fact, if they see him stepping into starting and closing roles for them.
Kevin Huerter, SG, Sacramento Kings
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Kevin Huerter had a huge hand in helping the Sacramento Kings snap their record-setting playoff drought just last season. That still may not keep him around much longer.
He hasn't been able to replicate that success, and his struggles even cost him his starting spot for a spell. The Kings have called around "to gauge the value" of a Huerter and Harrison Barnes package, per Yahoo Sports' Jake Fischer, so they clearly aren't glued to the 6'7" sharpshooter.
If the Lakers haven't made a call on Huerter already, they're doing it wrong. His career 38.1 three-point percentage suggests his current 34.5 percent splash rate is nothing more than an anomaly. Just last season, he was one of only six marksmen to hit at least 200 triples on 40-percent shooting.
His $15.7 million salary is more than reasonable for what he brings. Perimeter net-shredding is his primary objective, but he's a smart mover off the ball and a capable team defender. If he gives the Lakers' stars more breathing room and doesn't torpedo this defense, then he'd be a significant addition.
Nick Richards, C, Charlotte Hornets
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The Lakers have three centers on the roster in Anthony Davis, Christian Wood and Jaxson Hayes (plus a fourth if you count Colin Castleton, who's on a two-way deal). They may still be in the market for another.
Davis has been all-caps DOMINANT, but Wood's play and Hayes' minutes have both been up and down. (Castleton, for the record, has logged a total of 28 minutes at the big-league level). Considering the big-body roadblocks that could be lining the Lakers' championship path—including Nikola Jokić and Joel Embiid—they may need more interior insurance.
Outside of Davis, they don't have much size and strength at the center spot. A deal for Nick Richards could change that. A 7-footer with 245 pounds packed onto his frame, he has the physical tools to bang with jumbo-sized bigs. There is a force and physicality to his game, and while his skill set isn't very diverse, he checks all of the rim-running boxes.
He also isn't one of the three untouchables on Charlotte's roster—LaMelo Ball, Brandon Miller and Mark Williams, per Yahoo Sports' Jake Fischer—so there should be a deal to be made here, especially since Richards' $5 million salary isn't onerous. He wouldn't be a game-changing acquisition, obviously, but he could have the Lakers better prepared for the interior tests that are likely ahead.
Delon Wright, PG, Washington Wizards
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Shooting should be a focus for this franchise, and Delon Wright offers very little of it (career 0.7 threes per game). So, why is he on the list? Because shooting isn't the only thing this team needs.
As B/R's Chris Haynes reported, the Lakers are looking for "speed and quickness in the backcourt," someone who can "push the pace offensively" and "a point-of-attack defender." Wright offers all of the above.
The 31-year-old isn't quite a burner, but he gets up and down in a hurry and is a quick processor in the open court. He's always been a reliable decision-maker (career 3.1 assists against 0.9 turnovers) and typically finishes the chances he takes (career 45.3/35.3/80.4 shooting slash).
He shines even brighter on defense with the speed and quickness to chase point guards and the size (6'5" with a 6'7.5" wingspan) to pester most wings. He creates the best kind of chaos, as his 4.8 deflections per 36 minutes were second-most last season among players who logged 1,000-plus minutes. He's also on course to post a steal percentage of three-plus for the third consecutive season, a feat only matched by Matisse Thybulle.
If the Lakers could look past Wright's shooting limitations—he usually posts a decent percentage just without any kind of volume—they might seek out everything else he has to offer.
Stats used courtesy of NBA.com and Basketball Reference and are accurate entering games played on Wednesday, Jan. 17.
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