Getty Rob Pelinka, vice president of basketball operations and general manager of the Los Angeles Lakers.
The Los Angeles Lakers had an uneventful trade deadline relative to all of the rumors that preceded it.
But it could pave the way for an offseason littered with significant trades.
“The Lakers plan to use the three picks that they will have available this summer … to pursue a star via trade,” The Athletic’s Jovan Buha wrote on February 9. “Three potential targets are Donovan Mitchell, Trae Young and Kyrie Irving, according to team and league sources. The Athletic has previously reported on the franchise’s interest in Young and Irving.”
LA signed veteran Spencer Dinwiddie on the buyout market. After being waived from his three-year, $54 million contract, Dinwiddie will likely sign for the rest of the season and become a free agent next summer, essentially leaving the Lakers back at square one.
Rob Pelinka on the trade deadline: “You can’t buy a house that’s not for sale. … The right move wasn’t there.”
He says the team is going to be active on the buyout market. He also mentions that they’ll have three firsts to trade this summer for “a greater or bigger swing.”
Mitchell and Young are both All-Stars this season. And, while Irving did not make the cut this season, he is an eight-time All-Star, providing context for the type of players the Lakers are looking to add.
The Lakers have been linked to all three players before too.
Lakers Linked to Trio of Potential Trade Targets
Irving, a one-time teammate of LeBron James, tried to force his way to LA by showing up to the team’s playoff games last season, per ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne on January 17.
The Dallas Mavericks star re-upped with Dallas in the offseason and is happy now, per Shelburne.
Buha reported that Young had been on the Lakers’ “radar” on August 31, while The Ringer’s Kevin O’Connor suggested that Young – who shares Klutch Sports Group representation with James, Anthony Davis, and Jarred Vanderbilt – is also open to a trade to LA.
“If they keep their powder dry, they’ll have more tradable picks in July, O’Connor wrote on January 30. “Three firsts and three swaps, on top of all the player assets they have. That’d be enough pieces to put them in the running for a long list of possibilities. Trae Young would likely welcome a trade to Los Angeles at any time.”
ESPN’s Dave McMenamin also reported that the Lakers have had internal discussions about trading for a third star, naming Mitchell as an example.
All-Star Donovan Mitchell.
“The Lakers have discussed internally the possibility of packaging three picks, along with players they already have on their books, to pursue a bona fide star,” McMenamin wrote on January 23. “Such as Donovan Mitchell of the Cleveland Cavaliers.”
Buha has also said the Lakers would be open to trading Austin Reaves for a true star.
“There are players the Lakers would include him in deals to acquire,” Buha wrote on January 26. “If they could add a bona fide third star to complement James and Davis – Utah All-Star Lauri Markannen, for example – or multiple high-level starters in a bigger trade, they would consider moving Reaves.”
Lakers’ Potential Most Likely Trade Target
While those targets would be blockbuster acquisitions for the Lakers, a different outcome might be more likely. All three of Irving, Mitchell, and Young have multiple years left on their respective contracts after this season, though Mitchell has a player option for 2025-26.
That removes the additional motivation of moving them before they hit free agency.
Atlanta Hawks star Dejounte Murray is also under contract for several more seasons following his four-year, $114 million contract. But the Hawks were interested.
If DJ is bringing the ball up like this you KNOW it’s a bucket 😈😈😈
The Hawks and Lakers exchanged several trade ideas. The big holdup was the former’s resistance to the latter sending D’Angelo Russell back in return. This offseason could provide the perfect opportunity to re-visit those talks.