While the Los Angeles Lakers may have briefly filled one hole in the roster with a new backup center by waiving AK Okereke to sign Lawson Lovering, there are still a few potential moves the team can make to upgrade at the forward position.
One name in particular mentioned in trade rumors has been Derrick Jones Jr. of the Los Angeles Clippers, and after his strong showing against the Lakers on Wednesday night, he continues to look like a top trade target for the front office to land a new starting wing on the roster.
Jones finished the game with 15 points, five rebounds, four steals, and two blocks in 28 minutes, and after that solid performance, the idea of him making his way to the Lakers only becomes more intriguing after what he showed on the court going up against the team.
Lakers Urged To Make Derrick Jones Trade
After his latest outing against the Lakers, which came only days after the two sides matched up last week, Svyatoslav Rovenchuk urged the franchise to once again look at Jones as a trade target option.
“The Los Angeles Lakers got two close-up looks at Derrick Jones Jr. in their head-to-heads against the crosstown Los Angeles Clippers. DJJ followed up an impressive first go-around with another head-turning performance,” he wrote.
“The first time the Clippers and Lakers played, Jones was the primary defender who helped force his old teammate, Luka Doncic, to commit a career-high 11 turnovers…(On Wednesday) the athletic forward was as disruptive as his team could have asked for. He once again was the lead cause of a high turnover night for the Lakers star he was guarding. Reaves finished the game with 8 giveaways.”
Jones is averaging 12.5 points, 5.3 rebounds, 1.8 assists, and 1.8 steals on 57.6% shooting in four games so far this season, the best averages of his 11-year career so far. While he showed a ton of promise on the defensive end of the floor against the Lakers, he’s a decent offensive option, and as a trade target, he could arrive as a plug-and-play forward who would immediately upgrade the roster.
Insane dunker/oop catcher. Solid spot up shooter. Versatile defender that can hang with apex ball-handling wings while also providing weakside rim protection. Winning player.
The Lakers saw a strong game from Matisse Thybulle, and also have Ziaire Williams, Jake LaRavia, and a few other reserves to play on the wings right now. However, Jones might be a slight upgrade from all of them.
“Even so, if February comes around, and Rob Pelinka wants to make an all-in push before the deadline, one would imagine Jones near the top of the targets list,” Rovenchuk added about the team’s forward depth.
“There were murmurings in the offseason about the Clippers’ willingness to operate in good faith so Jones can get to his next team, should that be something he wants before his contract expires at season’s end. If DJJ points across town, one would imagine the Lakers will have plenty of interest.”
As time goes on, the Lakers will have a better understanding of the options they have on the wings. But if the front office and coaching staff aren’t happy with some of the names mentioned above, Jones could be the missing piece to raise the ceiling of this team around its star trio.
Los Angeles Remains Linked To The Top 3-And-D Wing Target
While just on paper Jones would be a solid fit to join the Lakers starting lineup, Rovenchuk’s comments aren’t the first time he’s been mentioned as a top trade target for the Purple and Gold.
Previously, it was Maxwell Odgen, who named the 29-year-old a ‘dream outcome’ and ‘ultimate’ wing for the Lakers to go after in a deal.
“The dream outcome here would be for Derrick Jones Jr. to end up with the Lakers. Jones is an elite wing defender who excels at the point of attack, as well as a capable three-point shooter who played alongside Doncic when the Mavericks made their run to the NBA Finals,” he wrote. “Compounded by his experience alongside Doncic, Jones is the ultimate trade target. It could prove costly to bring him on, but with an expiring contract and an ideal skill set for Los Angeles’ system, it’s at least worth exploring.”
More recently, answering questions on a Reddit AMA, Lakers reporter Dan Woike of The Athletic brought Jones’ name back up as a realistic Lakers trade target, as the Clippers could make him available in a deal.
“I’ve heard the Clippers really value Derrick Jones Jr. as a player and behind the scenes, but if he were available, the Lakers would probably call and hope it turned out better than their last deal with LAC,” Woike said.
On fit alone, and given his experience playing with Doncic, Jones is exactly the type of player the Lakers wanted this summer but failed to land. He wouldn’t need the ball in his hands much, but he’s above average on both ends, while offering spacing and some rim-running ability to get easy looks from Doncic, Reaves, and Collin Sexton in the two-man game.
Playing Jones alongside Walker Kessler would boost the Lakers’ defense, which they could use, and though it’s uncertain what the Clippers would want back in a trade, if using Jarred Vanderbilt‘s contract, along with Jaden Hardy or a second-round pick, can get a deal done, that might be worth it for general manager Rob Pelinka to pick up the phone.
The Lakers already filled the backup center hole with a low-risk move, but if the team is ready to take a bigger gamble, Jones might be the best trade target available in the final year of his current contract.
Lakers Urged To Continue Push For ‘Dream’ 3-And-D Trade Target