The Los Angeles Lakers can only imagine what things would look like if this were the regular season. With new star big man Walker Kessler still sidelined with a finger injury, the Lakers’ frontcourt is running on fumes, exposing the very little the team has at its disposal to backup its 25-year-old star big man.
Kessler was one of the marquee acquisitions of the offseason, coming over from the Utah Jazz is a seismic sign-and-trade that, to the chagrin of many, saw the Lakers deal away two first round picks and a pair of first round pick swaps. All of that for a non-All-Star, you say? Indeed!
The Lakers are fully committed to Kessler, who was reportedly on the shortlist of big men targets superstar point guard Luka Doncic preferred to play with. But the fact of the matter is that the Lakers can only get so far if there is no one truly dependable to play backup center.
This Lakers Trade Idea Would Ease as Frontcourt Concerns
In a trade proposed by a Fanspo.com trade machine user, the Lakers receive big men Jalen Smith and Patrick Smith from the Chicago Bulls in exchange for Jarred Vanderbilt, Jaden Hardy, Dalton Knecht and a 2032 first round pick swap.
This is an intriguing trade for both teams. The Lakers get some much-needed depth to shore up their frontline while the Bulls dump Williams’ particularly hefty contract. Chicago also parts ways with Smith, the 26-year-old big man who has been at the epicenter of Lakers trade rumors since July.
The Bulls aren’t known to be shopping their big men; they especially might not now that big man Nic Claxton has been sidelined with an injury that could cost him significant time.
For two frontcourt players, albeit neither of them stars, the Lakers might not mind parting ways with three players plus their remaining tradeable first round pick. In fact, Vanderbilt, Hardy and Knecht are often mentioned in Lakers trade and roster cut rumors.
Why L.A. Can’t Afford to Wait Much Longer
The Lakers reportedly tried to move Vanderbilt and Knecht over the summer but weren’t able to find any takers. Vanderbilt has fallen out of the rotation thanks to a mix of injuries and inconsistent play, while Knecht, the team’s first round pick in 2024, bottomed out last season following a relatively promising rookie season.
While Vanderbilt, 27, may have very little trade value, perhaps some teams out there are willing to give Knecht an opportunity — but they are likely waiting for the Lakers to waive him, which they may very well do considering they have less than two weeks to trim their roster from 16 players to 15.
Meanwhile, the Lakers cannot afford to go much longer without a viable backup center. With Kessler already missing time, albeit his injury being counted as nothing more than minor, the young big man has a bit of an injury history — he played just five games last season after suffering a season-ending shoulder injury — and cannot be asked to carry all the burden up front.
While the Lakers signed big man Kevon Looney to backup Kessler, this preseason has shown the 30-year-old, three-time NBA champion is not what he was years ago for the Golden State Warriors.
Lakers Trade Pitch Lands $63M Powerful Center Duo for 3 Key Players and 1 Pick