With opening night less than a month away, the Los Angeles Lakers still face a mountain of unanswered questions. Chief among them: does head coach JJ Redick have enough frontcourt depth behind Walker Kessler?
The short answer is no. Kevon Looney, who appeared in just 21 games for the New Orleans Pelicans last season, carries significant health concerns, while Kessler himself is recovering from major shoulder surgery after missing nearly all of last year.
Enter Bobby Portis: an NBA champion and the ultimate consummate professional. A new Lakers trade idea doing the rounds would add Portis to bolster their frontcourt rotation, while giving Redick another dynamic option.
Lakers Trade Idea Lands Bobby Portis
Lakers would receive: Bobby Portis
Heat would receive: Jalen Smith, Tre Jones, Jarred Vanderbilt
Bulls would receive: Nikola Jovic, Dalton Knecht
Why the Lakers Do It
Portis, who landed with the Miami Heat as part of the Giannis Antetokounmpo trade, projects as a better fit on a Lakers team that could use his ability to stretch the floor. While Kessler continues to expand his perimeter game, his three-point output remains limited to an attempt or two per night. Sandro Mamukelashvili provides positional versatility, but he isn’t a true stretch-five either, and Looney lacks a jump shot entirely. Simply put, the Lakers lack a big man who can consistently stretch the floor.
That’s precisely why Portis fits Redick’s system so well. The 2021 NBA champion made a career-best 2.0 threes at a blistering 45.6% clip last season, cementing his reputation as one of the league’s premier floor-spacing bigs throughout his tenure in Milwaukee.
Adding a durable, perimeter-threat center is no longer a luxury — it’s a necessity in a Western Conference guarded by Victor Wembanyama and Nikola Jokic.
Lakers Face Big Decisions
With 16 players under contract, the Lakers will have to either make a trade or waive a player or two over the next few weeks. Per multiple insiders, the Lakers are in no hurry and will take a final call on the roster after training camp and preseason.
According to Lakers insider Jovan Buha, Jaden Hardy, Bronny James and Dalton Knecht are expected to fight for two roster spots.
“My read on the situation is that this is going to be a competition among Dalton Knecht, Bronny James and Jaden Hardy,” Buha said on his “Buha’s Block” podcast.
“Two of those guys will make it. One of those guys won’t.”
While Hardy arrived in Los Angeles as part of the Deandre Ayton trade this year, both Bronny James an Dalton Knecht were drafted by the Lakers in 2024. Neither Bronny nor Knecht has become a key member of the rotation since landing with the Lakers.
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