Lakers Trade Targets to Avoid at 2021 NBA Deadline

If the Los Angeles Lakers poke around for upgrades between now and the March 25 NBA trade deadline, it won't just be a case of the rich getting richer.

Yes, the Lakers have the best two-man tandem in the business with LeBron James and Anthony Davis. And yes, there are moments in which this supporting cast seems to have everything it needs.

However, all rosters can be improved, even the one belonging to the defending champions. Every wing rotation could use more depth. L.A. might be in the market for another shot-creator. There's no such thing as too much shooting in the modern NBA—especially for an offense needing optimal spacing to enhance the attacks by James and Davis—so the Lakers could seek that out, too.

Saying all that, there are certain things—or certain players, rather—the Lakers should avoid. The following trio fits that bill.

Wayne Ellington, Detroit Pistons

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In theory, Wayne Ellington works as a target of the Lakers. Few (if any) players are better at weaponizing three-point snipers than James, and Ellington is scorching from distance (49.1 percent).

If the Lakers are going to spend actual assets at the deadline, though, they need to make sure the player they're bringing back will be a part of their postseason rotation. Ellington might not have the skills to provide that guarantee.

Shooting specialists don't automatically see the floor in L.A. Just ask Quinn Cook (3.4 minutes per game) and Jared Dudley (3.7). The Lakers might make an exception for a historic sniper like JJ Redick, but Ellington isn't in that category, despite what his recent heater might suggest. Over the previous two seasons, he connected on only 36.5 percent of his long-range looks.

If shooting isn't enough to get the 33-year-old into the playoff rotation, it's hard to think of what would. He's a defensive liability, which could leave him stuck behind Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Wesley Matthews and plucky sophomore swingman Talen Horton-Tucker. Ellington is also a non-factor on the glass (career 2.2 rebounds per game) and as a ball-mover (1.1 assists).

Should Ellington make it to the buyout market, his appeal might rise dramatically. But if the Lakers need to deal for him, they would get more mileage out of investing their trade chips in someone else.

Zach LaVine, Chicago Bulls

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It isn't hard to get excited about the idea of Zach LaVine rocking Purple and Gold. Truth be told, the idea has probably tantalized folks in L.A. since the bouncy scoring guard skyrocketed for a 46-inch vertical during a predraft workout in 2014.

But after (understandably) unloading their asset collection to nab Davis, the Lakers need to be extra careful about further depletion for anyone other than a top-shelf star. LaVine might be playing the best basketball of his career, but he could still fall short of that status.

The 25-year-old is an electric scorer, but he'd be a clear No. 3 option behind James and Davis. That's why the third wheel in many Big Threes is often left subsisting on the subtleties, the way Chris Bosh once did alongside James and Dwyane Wade with the Miami Heat.

While Bosh's scoring average cratered, he added value as a floor-spacing big and versatile defender. If LaVine loses a big chunk of his point production, where would he make up the difference?

At best, he's a passable defender; at worst, he's an inattentive one who can lose his focus (and his matchup) off the ball. His assists are up but so are his turnovers, making it fair to question his reliability as the primary playmaker when James needs a breather.

It's also worth noting LaVine's next playoff game will be his first. While it's unfair to put all of the Chicago Bulls' troubles on his shoulders, one can't help but wonder why his performances haven't generated more wins.

To get LaVine, the Lakers would surely have to deplete their depth and unload some draft picks far off in the future—picks that wouldn't convey until after James and perhaps Davis would presumably be out of L.A. Even then, it's unclear if that would be enough to get LaVine (assuming the Bulls are even willing to move him).

It would be a splashy move, sure, but it could fall short in the substance department.

Hassan Whiteside, Sacramento Kings

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The Los Angeles Lakers lost some size and length when they parted ways with Dwight Howard and JaVale McGee over the offseason. Hassan Whiteside would scratch both itches.

The 31-year-old has more bounce than Marc Gasol and more size than Montrezl Harrell, but that doesn't mean he would be a better fit for this roster than either of them.

Gasol is as consistent as they come defensively, as he routinely thinks the game one step ahead of the opposing offense. Whiteside is anything but on that end. He might accumulate boards and blocks, but he gets too jumpy chasing highlight rejections and runs into trouble when he's targeted in pick-and-rolls.

Whiteside's offensive toolbox basically looks empty in comparison to Harrell's, who is better getting buckets as both a screener and a shot-creator.

If Whiteside couldn't unseat Gasol or Harrell, where would he make his mark? History says the Lakers will downsize come playoff time. Davis played just 12 percent of his regular-season minutes at center in 2019-20, before that number ballooned to 60 in the playoffs. On a very related note, both Howard and McGee saw their roles diminished in that postseason run.

Given how few assets the Lakers have to throw around, they can't afford to give up anything of value for a third center who might not even have that role when the second season starts.

All stats courtesy of NBA.com and Basketball Reference unless otherwise noted.