While the Los Angeles Lakers still have a need for a starting-caliber wing, the excitement surrounding newcomers Ziaire Williams and Sandro Mamukelashvili has given fans a ton of hope.
Williams and Mamukelashvili aren’t stars by any means, but they can develop into that in their own role for the Lakers this season. Both players have potential to deliver what L.A. is seeking out of its starting power forward, but trade rumors will continue to persist until at least one of the two proves himself. If neither player steps up after a couple of months into the season, make no mistake … the Lakers will aggressively look to make a trade.
Insert the familiar names.
Lakers Could Make a Move for Luka Doncic’s Former Teammate
So many names have come up in Lakers trade rumors that we’ve reached the point where we can practically have a category within a category: former Luka Doncic teammates. Oft-mentioned names include — surely you haven’t heard of ‘em before (winks) — P.J. Washington and Derrick Jones Jr. According to Fansided’s Mat Issa, Jones is one of three targets the Lakers could pursue in a midseason trade.
“The Lakers need a forward and the Los Angeles Clippers need some draft capital, which makes these two teams the perfect trading partners,” Issa wrote. “This one would be another reunion for Dončić from his Finals run with the Dallas Mavericks. Here, the Lakers would trade LaRavia, Dalton Knecht and three second-round picks to get Derrick Jones Jr.”
Some will have their reservations about a potential trade between the Lakers and Clippers, but if the L.A. team that just got rocked with multiple harsh penalties by the NBA is serious about recouping some draft capital, perhaps they would entertain sending a star veteran to their cross-town rivals.
L.A. Has Multiple Paths to Landing Jones
Jones, 29, is believed to be one of the Clippers veterans on the trade block after the league docked five first round picks from the team. Jones, who played one season with Doncic in Dallas, probably isn’t as sure-fire an option like Washington, but he is a proven, veteran two-way contributor who would be an upgrade over any candidate to play forward for the Lakers this season.
What the Clippers would ask for in a Jones deal is unclear, but even if the asking price is high, the Lakers could hang back for now and wait for Jones to test free agency next summer, as Lakers Nation’s Trevor Lane recently outlined.
“Can the Lakers capitalize and potentially get a wing that they can use in Derrick Jones Jr., who also has experience playing with Luka Doncic?” Lane said on the Lakers Nation YouTube channel. “Even as easily as walking back the idea that they could trade Derrick Jones Jr. … I do have him on my list of players that I think the Lakers can and will target next summer with their midlevel exception. Can you do a little bit of free agency shopping, get Derrick Jones Jr., give him an extension right now, and rather than have to pursue him in free agency next year, get it done, add the player currently and off you go.”
Jones is entering the final year of his deal and is not expected to get his contract extended. For the Clippers’ sake, it would probably be wise to push to trade him between now and the trade deadline; otherwise, they risk losing a valuable player for no return.
Lakers Could Reunite Luka Doncic With Explosive 6’6″ Do-It-All Forward in Trade