Where will the Los Angeles Lakers turn next after the player they targeted for nearly two months ended up with a conference rival?
With the 2026-27 season inching closer, the Lakers still have two major roster needs and very few options. No one on the free agent market has seemed to intrigue the Lakers, while the team’s minimal tradeable assets will make any trade challenging to pull off.
“The Lakers’ tradable draft picks are limited: They own their own 2033 second-round draft pick; they possess a pair of second-round picks from the Wizards in 2031 and 2032 after swapping Deandre Ayton for Jaden Hardy; and the lone first-round pick they’re able to outright swap in a trade is in 2032. Outside of that, their other trade assets are mostly players who could be on expiring contracts if their team options for 2027-28 are declined (such as Hardy and Dalton Knecht),” Lakers insider Khobi Price wrote recently for the California Post.
Could the Lakers Go After This Elite Wing Scoring Option?
There aren’t many viable options out there, but Lakers reporter Jacob Rude recently put together a list of five potential targets for the team after losing the Jonathan Kuminga sweepstakes. One option, according to Rude, could be New Orleans Pelicans microwave scorer Saddiq Bey.
“The options fall off pretty quickly, which is how we get to someone like Saddiq Bey,” Rude wrote in a recent fan mailbag. “He’s a perfectly serviceable player, but he also won’t solve too many problems. Like most of the roster, his game weighs more towards offense than defense. He averaged 17.7 points per game last season with the Pelicans and shot 36.7% from range.”
Bey, 27, has always stood out as a scorer when healthy. Many fans may remember when Bey, just 22 at the time, rattled off a 51-point performance years ago against the Orlando Magic. Last season, Bey averaged nearly 18 points per game while shooting 45 percent from the field and 37 percent from the 3-point line.
With the Pelicans investing in another forward recently, signing young winman Bennedict Mathurin to a two-year deal, Bey could be a trade chip in New Orleans.
“New Orleans also just signed Bennedict Mathurin to an offer sheet,” Rude wrote. “Along with Trey Murphy III, Herb Jones and Jeremiah Fears, the Pelicans have lots of guards and wings they’re likely more invested in. The selling point here could be a bigger trade as the Lakers have also been linked to Yves Missi in the past as well as Karlo Matkovic. It’s a bit optimistic, but the Lakers solving multiple issues with one trade is enticing.”
Is Bey Truly a Good Option for L.A.?
It is important to remember why the Lakers went after Kuminga in the first place. Kuminga’s youth, athleticism and two-way upside made him a worthy longer-term investment, especially with L.A. making a conscious effort to get younger this offseason.
Bey, meanwhile, is at the start of his prime and likely has already reached his highest level. He can score, no doubt, but isn’t nearly what the Lakers would want defensively out of their starting power forward.
That noted, if New Orleans is willing to move Bey at a relatively low asking price, the Lakers probably wouldn’t mind absorbing his expiring $6.5 million contract.
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