The Los Angeles Lakers have a 10-2 record and are the top team in the Western Conference, led by Luka Doncic‘s MVP-caliber start to the season. Normally, as the saying goes, you don’t change what’s working, and while that could be true for the Lakers, the team remains in trade talk as the front office is reportedly interested in making a move for another forward or center to bolster the rotation.
The Lakers failed to land several top rumored targets this offseason, and though the replacement wings have done a solid job to start the season, the team remains mentioned as one ready to make a move to add to the depth chart on the perimeter.
Additionally, the non-Walker Kessler minutes are an issue for Los Angeles, and while Kevon Looney is the only other true center on the roster, the franchise has been eyeing the trade market for a backup big man, with several names mentioned as top targets who could become available.
To add any players holding reported interest, the Purple and Gold would need to sacrifice some current names on the roster, and though that could be tough considering the strong start to the year, according to some recent reports, it looks like there is a solid group who could be on the chopping block, should the Lakers end up making a trade.
Top Lakers Trade Targets According To Recent Reports
In an amalgamation of some recent Lakers trade rumors, here is a group of players the team is reportedly eyeing in a deal this season, in no particular order:
Derrick Jones Jr., PJ Washington, and Daniel Gafford of the Dallas Mavericks, Trey Murphy, Herb Jones, and Karlo Matkovic of the New Orleans Pelicans, Jalen Smith of the Chicago Bulls, Goga Bitadze of the Orlando Magic, Day’Ron Sharpe of the Brooklyn Nets, and Jericho Sims of the Milwaukee Bucks.
There might be a few other trade targets around the NBA for Los Angeles to explore, but each of these names has been directly mentioned as players the team is eyeing in one form or another.
Murphy and Jones of the Pelicans have long been named the ideal players the Lakers would love to add, but each is a top trade target for a host of other title-hopefuls, so the team would have a tough time beating out some other offers New Orleans would be getting for both.
Jones of the Clippers, as well as Washington of the Mavericks, are two names who have previously played with franchise star Luka Doncic, and are likely the most realistic targets for the Lakers. They would each command different asking prices from their respective teams, but if they become available, expect them to be atop the franchise’s wish list of top names to go after.
In terms of the backup center options, Sims might be the most realistic. The Lakers already tried trading for him before the season began, and while talks have stalled since, if general manager Rob Pelinka is ready to take a risk, he could offer a bigger package for the 28-year-old athletic big man.
All of the other names mentioned remain on the table, as each has something to offer for this current Lakers team. It remains to be seen if the Purple and Gold will get a deal done ahead of the February 11 trade deadline, but per all the recent rumors, it looks like the front office is gearing up to make a move.
Players On The Chopping Block If Los Angeles Can Get A Deal Done
Now that it’s clear who is potentially available for the Lakers to upgrade the roster, another important question is who would get traded for the franchise to add any of these players.
According to reporter Jovan Buha and others, several names in particular could be on the chopping block early in the season.
Cameron Carr, Adou Thiero, Jarred Vanderbilt, Jaden Hardy, Collin Sexton, potentially Jake LaRavia, and even Bronny James are all players the Lakers could use as trade assets in a move this year.
“The more I think about it, I am coming around to potentially trading Adou or Carr in the right deal,” he said on an episode of his show, Buha’s Block. “If Carr is the 12th guy for JJ and Adou can’t stay healthy, then if you can get a starter for those guys, I think you’ve got to do that.”
“In terms of offer (for a top trade target), I mean, it’s probably, as we’ve been mentioning, something like Sexton and Hardy and some sort of draft capital,” Buha said more recently. “I don’t think you’re flipping Vando.”
The Lakers have reportedly been trying to trade Vanderbilt for years, but with the $12 million he’s owed this season and a player option for next season, moving him in 2026-27 could be tough. It’s a different story when he’s on an expiring contract next year, but it doesn’t look like the forward has enough value to get a deal done.
As for James, potentially the most interesting player on the Lakers roster, the team could use him in a trade, as rival teams might value his name and the attention that comes with it rather than his skill set on the court. Los Angeles failed to move Dalton Knecht in a deal with the Bucks for Sims, but as CBS Sports’ Sam Quinn proposed, James could be a higher-value trade asset than his former teammate.
“If I were the Lakers, I’d be trying to trade Bronny right now to some owner who wants to sell some jerseys. I’d rather keep Knecht on the books as possible trade salary than cut him and deal with dead money. The Lakers don’t really need the James brand like other teams do,” he wrote in a post on X.
Buha has also mentioned James as a player who could be waived if a free agent like Bruce Brown or Ochai Agbaji is on the table. Instead of taking a risk in a bigger trade, the Lakers could make a move around the edges to add a more experienced player than the third-year guard with just 12 minutes of action so far this season.
“Whatever they decide, I think something has to happen soon because they can’t keep playing this current rotation,” Buha said. “Then it’s Hardy or Bronny. And then I think they’re gonna try to flip Hardy. So Bronny is the one who’s only making a couple million that they could potentially waive.”
“They’re in a situation where, at a minimum, I think you gotta change the two-way spots and bring in a big who can play, but potentially you do that with the back end of the roster.”
The Lakers have yet to make a trade this season, but based on the targets available and names who could be moved, there is a path to getting a deal done to upgrade the roster and capitalize on the strong core of Doncic, Austin Reaves, and Kessler, who have led the team to the best record in the West through the first three weeks of the season.
Lakers Trade Rumors: Every Top Target And Player Available In A Deal