Getty LeBron James #23 of the Los Angeles Lakers.
The Los Angeles Lakers’ stance of being patient ahead of the trade deadline may be about more than the cost of doing business this transaction window.
It could also have a lot to do with the Lakers’ plans for the future.
“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,” ESPN’s Dave McMenamin wrote on January 23. “Such as Donovan Mitchell of the Cleveland Cavaliers.”
Mitchell, 27, is a four-time All-Star and earned his first All-NBA selection last season. He is averaging 27.8 points, 6.1 assists, and 5.4 rebounds for the Cavs this season.
He is in the third year of a five-year, $163 million contract.
“pardon-moi.” – donovan
There is a $37.1 million player option in the final year of that deal. But there has already been speculation that he has no plans to re-sign with Cleveland, perhaps setting the stage for a blockbuster trade.
He has already passed on one extension opportunity, though that could be more for financial reasons. Mitchell figures to make substantially more money as a free agent.
The New York Knicks and Brooklyn Nets are two teams to watch, per Action Network’s Matt Moore on December 12. And the Lakers will likely need to hope nothing changes between Mitchell and the Cavs, who currently sit fourth in the Eastern Conference standings.
Logic Behind Lakers Waiting Game
“The Lakers currently have only one future first-round pick available to trade,” McMenamin wrote. “But starting on the day of the NBA draft, they’ll have three: 2031, 2029 and either 2024 or 2025, depending on whether New Orleans chooses to use the 2024 pick it previously received from L.A. or defers it to the next draft.”
D’Angelo Russell, Rui Hachimura, Austin Reaves, and Gabe Vincent are the Lakers players most often mentioned in trade rumors. But the Lakers want to keep Reaves and Hachimura, per Bleacher Reports’ Eric Pincus on January 16.
The Athletic’s Jovan Buha reported that Russell, Hachimura, and Vincent all have little to no value on the trade market on January 19.
He also noted that youngsters Max Christie and Jalen Hood-Schifino, the No. 15 overall pick this year, could also be valuable to the right team.
Whether or not that team is the Cavaliers is unclear.
It is also unclear if the Cavaliers would want to consummate such a trade with the Lakers, helping LeBron James in the process. Mitchell isn’t the Lakers’ only target, though.
Lakers Plan to Resume Pursuit of Trae Young
Amid the swirling talk of the Lakers landing Atlanta Hawks star Dejounte Murray, haggling over the framework of the deal could lead to a changing of the target. McMenamin also named Murray’s teammate, Trae Young, as a potential star trade target this coming offseason.
Young, like Murray is a Klutch Sports Group client.
Trae Young arriving courtside to Game 6 of Lakers-Warriors with agent Rich Paul
He has long been a target of the Lakers and has remained on their radar.
“The Lakers have pursued other star guards,” Buha wrote on August 31. “Trae Young has long been on Los Angeles’ radar, depending on how his situation unfolds in Atlanta.”
Atlanta is seven games below .500 on the season at 18-25. But they are still in the Play-In Tournament field. Young hasn’t given any public indication that he wants to be traded either. The Hawks are trying to retool around him, per Marc Stein of The Stein Line on January 5.
Whether or not those stances change this offseason is arguably the greatest unknown.