Getty Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka and head coach Darvin Ham in June
The Los Angeles Lakers will reportedly make a trade, but it won’t be a massive one.
Jovan Buha of The Athletic reported on December 21 that Anthony Davis’ right foot injury has increased the probability that the only move the Lakers make is a smaller trade featuring one first-round pick. Los Angeles wants to trade Patrick Beverley and Kendrick Nunn for a “3-and-D wing or combo forward.”
“Davis’ injury has increased the probability that the only move the Lakers make is a smaller trade featuring, at most, one first-round pick, sources with knowledge of the Lakers’ plans told The Athletic,” Buha reported. “The one exception is if a star that can grow alongside Davis over the next few years becomes available. But the most likely trade outcome, at this point, is some form of Patrick Beverley, Kendrick Nunn and either the 2027 or 2029 first-round pick (likely protected) for a 3-and-D wing or combo forward that fits well next Davis and James, those sources said. As The Athletic’s Sam Amick reported last week, Russell Westbrook is likely to stay with the Lakers past the trade deadline, unless the team can find a deal ahead of the Feb. 9 trade deadline that requires them to trade only one of their future first-round picks.”
Beverley and Nunn are on expiring contracts. Neither guard has played well for the Lakers, who are 13-18 through 31 games.
Who Are the Lakers Targeting?
According to Buha, the Lakers are targeting several role players. Los Angeles doesn’t believe there is a trade available that will immediately turn the team into a contender since Davis is expected to miss significant time with his foot injury.
“In addition to the other names that have been attached to the Lakers, some others to watch that are expected to be available are Jae Crowder, Eric Gordon, Alec Burks, Terry Rozier, P.J. Washington, Kelly Oubre Jr., Josh Richardson and Jakob Poeltl, according to those sources,” Buha reported. “The Lakers don’t believe there is a trade presently available that will immediately turn them into a contender, especially when factoring in the likelihood that Davis will miss a few weeks at a minimum.”
According to a December 12 report from Marc Stein of Substack, the Lakers were rebuffed in their attempt to acquire Bojan Bogdanovic from the Detroit Pistons. Los Angeles has been trying to trade for Bogdanovic for several months. The Lakers have also been linked to DeMar DeRozan, Kyrie Irving, Kyle Kuzma, Myles Turner, Buddy Hield and Doug McDermott.
Proposed Trade Lands Lakers Kyle Kuzma for Patrick Beverley & Kendrick Nunn
In a December 16 article called “Three Trade Proposals to Celebrate NBA Trade Season,” Sports Illustrated’s Rohan Nadkarni proposed that the Lakers trade Beverley, Nunn and draft picks to the Washington Wizards for Kuzma and Delon Wright. Kuzma began his career in Los Angeles. The purple and gold traded the forward to the Wizards in the summer of 2021 in the Russell Westbrook trade.
“Let’s get started in Los Angeles, which has been rumored to be interested in a reunion with Kyle Kuzma,” Nadkarni wrote. “The Kuz can be a free agent this summer thanks to an opt out, which makes him a prime candidate to be traded from a Wizards team in free fall. (Washington has lost 11 of its last 12 games and Bradley Beal is injured.) The Lakers make this move because Russell Westbrook off the bench has actually gone well, and now they can split up their tradeable first-round picks in separate moves to try to add as many quality rotation pieces as possible. Does this trade make the Lakers a title contender? No, they would need to do more. But! Kuzma has experience playing alongside LeBron James and Anthony Davis, and now AD is actually playing center, which should help Kuzma stay on the floor for longer. Wright is a bit of a steal here and probably even wishful thinking on my part. Though he has been injured for most of this season, Wright brought a steady hand to the Hawks last year. He can play both on and off the ball in bench lineups, and he would be a massive offensive upgrade over Beverley.”
Chris Haynes of Bleacher Report reported on December 14 that the Lakers are interested in bringing back Kuzma, who is averaging 21.5 points and 7.6 rebounds this season.