NBA Rumors: Lakers 'Open' to Trading Draft Picks amid 17-13 Start to Season

The Los Angeles Lakers are "open" to using their tradable first-round picks in a potential deal this winter, according to ESPN's Shams Charania.

The Lakers are looking for a player that can slot in alongside LeBron James and Anthony Davis now before staying with the franchise for "three, four or five more years," Charania said Thursday on ESPN's First Take (h/t ClutchPoints.)

General manager Rob Pelinka and the Lakers can trade their first-round picks in 2029 and 2031, per ESPN's Bobby Marks. The team can also send out its 2030 first-rounder in a separate deal, per Marks.

The Lakers head into Thursday ranked sixth in the West after winning four of their last five games.

Pelinka said in September that the franchise would consider using both the 2029 and 2031 picks in a single trade "if that leads to sustainable Lakers excellence" (h/t Mark Medina.)

"We would also use one pick to make a marginal upgrade if we felt that was the right thing to do," Pelinka said ahead of the season.

The Lakers have previously been linked to the Chicago Bulls' Zach LaVine, but Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times recently reported that talks stalled because "Los Angeles remains steadfast that Austin Reaves isn't going to be included."

The team has also been tied to Washington Wizards center Jonas Valančiūnas, although The Athletic's Jovan Buha reported earlier this week that the Lakers recently passed up on a chance to trade for him.

The Lakers are looking to bounce back from a stretch over which they lost eight of 11 games between Nov. 21 and Dec. 13.

The team is now looking to solve the defensive issues exposed during their recent slump, as well as help prepare for potential absences from their stars.

After Davis suffered an ankle injury on Wednesday, and with James indicating he would be willing to consider resting for load management down the stretch of his age-40 season, the Lakers' need to add their roster depth ahead of the Feb. 6 deadline is more obvious than ever.

For now the Lakers will hope to get Davis, who said he doesn't expect to miss time with his injury, back in the lineup ahead of Saturday's home game against the Sacramento Kings.