The Los Angeles Lakers at 10-2 have the best record in the NBA, but their success has been driven almost exclusively by their offense. Defensively they rank 18th of the 30 NBA teams, with a defensive rating of 114.7, which measures points allowed per 100 possessions.
But a new trade pitch published Tuesday would give the Lakers a significant defensive upgrade with a $100 million Atlanta Hawks guard currently leading the NBA with 3.0 steals per game.
In the trade pitch aimed at the Lakers and published by FanSpo, the Lakers would acquire Hawks guard Dyson Daniels for Jake LaRavia, Jarred Vanderbilt and two second-round picks.
The FanSpo automated analysis clears the deal under the collective bargaining agreement for both teams as of Nov. 10, and projects Los Angeles gaining five wins while Atlanta loses five. Is a first-team All-Defensive guard worth two rotation forwards and a pair of distant picks? If the projected win differential is accurate, it would seem so.
Daniels, LaRavia and Vanderbilt Trade Profiles
Daniels, 23, is the son of Ricky Daniels, who played at NC State and became a two-time league MVP in Bendigo, Australia, where he grew up. He skipped college for the G League Ignite, went eighth overall to the Pelicans in 2022 and reached Atlanta in the Dejounte Murray trade.
In 2024-25, Daniels won Most Improved Player, piled up 229 steals, the most since Gary Payton and averaged 14.1 points, 5.9 rebounds and 4.4 assists. Last October he signed a four-year, $100 million extension through 2029-30.
He made the All-Defensive Second Team last season and is averaging 9.8 points, 7.2 rebounds and 5.5 assists now. From the perimeter, he shoots 29.3 percent from three-point range for his career.
LaRavia, 25, played two seasons at Indiana State and one at Wake Forest before the Minnesota Timberwolves took the Pasadena native 19th in 2022. Memphis held his rights, and he reached Los Angeles after stops with the Grizzlies and Sacramento Kings, signing a two-year, $12 million contract in 2025 that triggered a first-apron hard cap for Los Angeles.
He played all 82 games last season, at 8.2 points, 4.0 rebounds and 1.8 assists a night, and shot 32.1 percent from three-point range.
Vanderbilt, 27, a 6-foot-8 forward, left Kentucky after one season as a 2018 second-round pick and played for Denver, Minnesota and Utah before Los Angeles acquired him in 2023. He signed a four-year, $48 million extension that September. He averaged 4.5 points and 4.4 rebounds last season and is playing about 13 minutes a game this year.
Lakers and Hawks Financial and Competitive Impact
Both picks are second-rounders, in 2031 and 2032. The Lakers’ own 2031 second is headed to the Brooklyn Nets, and their 2032 second sits inside an Atlanta-Oklahoma City swap, yet FanSpo lists both as Lakers picks. Neither can produce a rookie for more than four years. The picks “will start the conversation with the Hawks,” Jackson wrote.
Atlanta would shed $6.6 million in payroll, sending out $25 million and taking back $18.4 million. LaRavia’s $6 million expires after this season, while Vanderbilt is owed $12.4 million with a $13.3 million player option for 2027-28. The Lakers, already over the tax line, would add that $6.6 million plus three more seasons of $25 million for Daniels after this one.
On the floor, the Lakers ranked second in offensive rating and 18th defensively in early November, while Atlanta’s defense ranked 13th in defensive rating over the same stretch. FanSpo‘s projections use BBall Index’s LEBRON ratings, placing Daniels at +2.3, LaRavia at minus-1.2, Vanderbilt at minus-0.9. The model credits Los Angeles with +2.52 on offense and +1.89 on defense, and charges Atlanta the same amount.
On those numbers, the Lakers get the better end. They trade two players rated a combined minus-2.1 for one rated plus-2.3. Atlanta’s returns are forward depth, payroll relief and shorter commitments. Los Angeles gets the higher-rated player, a 23-year-old signed through 2029-30, and Atlanta gives up the one piece in the deal that already holds an All-Defensive selection.
Lakers Trade Pitch Lands $100 Million Hawks Defender for Vanderbilt, LaRavia