As the Los Angeles Lakers continue to chase their first championship since 2020, they will be acutely aware that the LeBron James era is coming to an end. The veteran superstar recently turned 40. And while LeBron is still a top-15 player in the NBA, his time in the league is drawing to a close.
As such, Rob Pelinka and the front office must begin building a succession plan. That way, when LeBron does choose to call time on his historic career, the franchise will have the foundations in place for future success. According to Bleacher Report’s Greg Swartz, that succession plan should begin with LaMelo Ball.
“Now that LeBron James just celebrated his 40th birthday and can become a free agent this summer, the Lakers should be looking for their next superstar to pair with Anthony Davis,” Swartz wrote. “Trading for Ball now increases Los Angeles’ title chances this year and gives the team a 23-year-old point guard to build around for the future.”
Swartz labeled Ball as the Lakers ‘dream target.’ He is currently in the first year of a five-year $203 million deal with the Charlotte Hornets. Ball would need to force a trade for Charlotte to even consider picking up the phone in trade negotiations. As such, it’s clear why Swartz has listed Ball as a ‘dream’ because the reality is that LaMelo will remain in Charlotte for the foreseeable future.
Lakers Could Target Myles Turner
Bleacher Report’s Eric Pincus recently floated a more realistic trade option. The cap expert pinpointed Myles Turner as a potential trade candidate. Turner is in the final few months of his two-year $40 million deal. As such, the Indiana Pacers could potentially be willing to explore trade packages with the Lakers.
“The Pacers may be forced to shop Turner at the deadline if they don’t feel like they can afford to re-sign him this summer,” Pincus reasoned. “Trading him now would help to solidify the roster around Tyrese Haliburton, Pascal Siakam and others. Hachimura, 26, is averaging 11.9 points and shooting 41.4 percent from three this season. Hayes gives the Pacers some additional size with Turner gone, and Reddish, 25, still has some potential left.”
Turner would provide Davis with the frontcourt partner he’s been waiting for. Nevertheless, the Lakers would likely need to produce a significant trade package to pry the floor stretching big away from Rick Carlisle’s team.
Lakers’ Lost Out On Nick Richards
On Jan. 9 Forbes Sports’ Evan Sidery reported that the Lakers held interest in Nick Richards.
“The Bucks, Kings, Knicks, Lakers, Nuggets, and Suns are among the teams recently expressing trade interest in Nick Richards,” Sidery posted on X. “Richards is averaging 9.2 points, 7.7 rebounds and 1.3 blocks per game. The Hornets are open to moving some of their veterans for future draft capital.”
However, the impressive big man was traded to the Phoenix Suns on Wednesday, Jan. 15. With Richards off the table, the Lakers trade options have taken a blow. Fortunately for Los Angeles, Jonas Valanciunas and Nikola Vucevic are both still on the trade market. Rumors have linked the Lakers with both bigs in recent weeks.
Los Angeles has already added Dorian Finney-Smith to their roster. Nevertheless, it’s clear there’s still more work that needs to be done to JJ Redick’s roster. Therefore, it’s fair to expect some additional movement in the trade market in the coming weeks. Clearly, Ball is not a viable option for Pelinka and the front office, at least not now. However, that doesn’t mean there are multiple avenues the team can explore.
The Lakers have until Feb. 6 to figure out how to upgrade the current rotation. After that, they will have no choice but to move forward with the players at their disposal.
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Lakers Pushed To Trade for $203 Million ‘Dream’ Target