Lakers Trade Rumors: Power Ranking Best Potential Moves for the Lake Show

While the Los Angeles Lakers have been playing more consistent basketball as of late, with wins over the Minnesota Timberwolves and the Boston Celtics, there's no doubt they still need to make a move before the Mar. 15th trade deadline.

After back-to-back losses to the lowly Detroit Pistons and Washington Wizards, there's still one glaring weakness that the Lakers need to fix, and that's offensive production from players not named Kobe, Bynum and Gasol.

If the Lakers want to contend in a stacked Western Conference, there's no doubt that the Lakers need to switch up their rotation moving forward, and that starts with making a move before the deadline.

Where are the Lakers' biggest needs and what potential trades could make the most impact?  I'm about to tell you.

Ahead, you'll find a power ranking of the best potential trades for the Lakers to make before the Mar. 15th NBA trade deadline.  

No. 5 Raymond Felton and Gerald Wallace to Lakers

While Raymond Felton hasn't exactly been setting the world on fire with the Portland Trailblazers as of late, there's no doubt that he would be an upgrade for the Lakers at the point guard position 

Roland Lazenby ofLakersNoise.com reported a week ago that the Lakers were interested in Felton, and while that's about all that has been said about a potential Felton-to-Lakers trade, there's no doubt that Felton would be a nice fit in Mike Brown's offense.

In addition to bringing Felton in, the Lakers could potentially reel in Gerald Wallace, who the Trailblazers are reportedly looking to move once again.

The best part of a potential Felton and Wallace trade for the Lakers is that it wouldn't cost them nearly as much as other trades would, as Felton hasn't been playing up to his potential as of late, and the Blazers are looking to get rid of Wallace's bloated $10.6 million-dollar contract. 

The Lakers could grab Felton and Wallace, in exchange for Metta World Peace, Steve Blake and their 2012 first and second-round draft picks, which wouldn't be too high of a price for the Lakers to pay.

Making a move for Felton, is mainly based on the hope, that in a new location, Felton will be able to return to the kind of player he was before this year, which is why this move finds itself in the number five spot on this list.  

No. 4 Kyle Lowry and Louis Scola to Lake Show

There's no way around it.  The Lakers need a major upgrade at the point guard position if they want to make a run in the 2012 NBA playoffs.

Steve Blake and Derek Fisher just aren't going to get the job done, and while there are a lot of point guards the Lakers could be interested in—like Rondo, Felton and Nash—their best upgrade would come via a Houston Rockets trade involving Kyle Lowry.

ESPN reports that the Lakers and Rockets aren't going to match up up on a potential trade involving Lowry and Gasol, but that doesn't mean that it isn't likely to happen.

Making a trade for Kyle Lowry would undoubtedly cost the Lakers Pau Gasol, which I think is a dangerous move to make, as Gasol is a major component of the Lakers offensive production right now, and there's no guarantee that Lowry and Scola would be able to make up for losing that production.

In a potential trade for points guard Kyle Lowry and power forward Luis Scola, the Lakers will have to send at least Pau Gasol, Steve Blake, Devin Ebanks, a first-round pick and maybe more, which is a hefty price to pay for Los Angeles.

I like the possibility of Kyle Lowry putting on a Lakers' jersey and running the point as the Lakers head into the second-half stretch of the season, but the trade, in my opinion, is a little too costly for the Lakers, which is why it comes in at number four on this list. 

No. 3 Michael Beasley to the Lakers

Beasley would be a nice fit into a Lakers rotation that is relatively weak at the small forward position, but there's one problem, Beasley would cost the Lakers quite a bit of money heading into the end of the season. 

Adding Beasley would cost the Lakers nearly $6.2 million dollars at the end of the year, when they pay their annual tax bill.  The Lakers already have one of the biggest payrolls in the NBA, which means they also pay the most in taxes.

Either way, there are reports coming from ESPN's Chris Broussard that the Lakers have already turned down an offer from the Minnesota Timberwolves that would have sent Beasley to the Lakers for a 2012 first-round draft pick.

While the Lakers don't want to give up their first-round pick for an inconsistent shooting guard, and they probably don't like the idea of how much he'll cost come time to pay their taxes, there's no doubt that the Lakers need Beasley's offensive production on their otherwise underwhelming bench.  

Even though Beasley's production is often times inconsistent, he still is better than almost every player coming off the Lakers' bench right now, and if all Minnesota is asking for in return is a 2012 first-round pick, the Lakers would be wise to pull the trigger on that move.  

No. 2 Devin Harris Gets a New Beginning in L.A

There are reports from ESPN's Marc Stein, on ESPN Insider, that the Utah Jazz are looking to move point guard Devin Harris before the trade deadline.

The Los Angeles Lakers would be foolish to not make a move for Devin Harris, who hasn't necessarily been playing as well as he can as of late, but still has potential to be a difference maker at the point for Los Angeles.

It's feasible that the Lakers could work out a deal with the Jazz to get Devin Harris in return for Steve Blake and a first-round draft pick, which would be an absolute steal for Los Angeles moving into the second-half stretch of their season.

While Devin Harris hasn't been as productive offensively in his days in Utah, as he was in New Jersey, there's no doubt that a fresh start could be just what Harris needs to step up his game once again, and return to All-Star form.

The Jazz might be hesitant to move Harris to the Lakers, being that Los Angeles and Utah both play in the Western Conference, but if the Lakers can put together an enticing deal for the Jazz, they'd be foolish to turn it down.

Devin Harris on a Lakers' jersey could be just what they need to turn the corner in the Western Conference, and become an elite team once again. 

No. 1 Ramon Sessions in the Staples Center

The best available solution for the Los Angeles Lakers' point guard woes appears to be Cleveland Cavaliers point guard Ramon Sessions.

Sessions is a better option than guys like Raymond Felton and even Devin Harris, and while the Lakers will have to bite the bullet and throw in a first-round draft pick in the trade, it's an uncommon scenario where the Lakers can get production without blowing up their roster.

Ramon Sessions could be the spark the Lakers have been looking for ever since trading away Lamar Odom this past offseason, as they would be getting an offensively-minded point guard for the first time in quite a while.

If all the Cavaliers are asking for is a first-round draft pick for Sessions, the Lakers would be idiots to not pull the trigger on that move, as they would be getting a lot of production in return for a draft pick that might not turn into anything in the near future.

Even if the Cavs want someone like Steve Blake with that first-round draft pick, the Lakers need to make the deal, because Ramon Sessions has the offensive ability that the Lakers need right now, and adding him to the roster might be able to bring the Lakers back to the top in the Western Conference.

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