The Los Angeles Lakers are tied for the top seed in the Western Conference. Let’s just say that is something most didn’t see coming just a few weeks ago when the regular season was getting ready to start.
While the Lakers are enjoying the best start to a season since their title-winning 2019-20 campaign, the roster is far from a finished product. In fact, the Lakers are hoping every day that nothing happens to star big man Walker Kessler because, well, the team has no plan B.
That should change soon enough, though, as the trade deadline doesn’t strike for almost another three months.
Lakers Could Have a Target Waiting in Brooklyn
There have been numerous names tied to the Lakers through reporting and pure speculation, among them include Brooklyn Nets big man Day’Ron Sharpe, the 25-year-old former first round pick who could be an excellent back up option for the Lakers. The good news? The Nets are ready to listen to trade offers for any of their players.
“If you call the Brooklyn Nets about any of their players, they will listen. Per a team source, it’s just that simple,” The Athletic’s Sam Amick reported this week. Such is life when you’re a rebuilding team, not to mention an organization that has two veterans — Michael Porter Jr. and Julius Randle — who could help any number of contenders. Those two players are widely discussed as top targets in league circles, with Porter (21.5 points and 7.5 rebounds per) above all the rest of the Nets.”
While Randle is someone who has come up in Lakers trade speculation, it is safe to think that L.A. would be much more interested in trading for Sharpe, who would satisfy the Lakers’ biggest roster need. A consistent double-double threat, Sharpe is averaging 8.2 points, 6.8 rebounds and an impressive 4.1 assists per game this season. He is also shooting nearly 36 percent from the 3-point line.
Sharpe Would Be an Immediate Upgrade for L.A.
Not only is Sharpe an ascending player who could thrive in L.A. next to Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves, but he would be a clear upgrade by default. That is because the even Lakers, as currently constructed, don’t believe they have a back up center, even after signing three-time NBA champion Kevon Looney in the offseason.
“This team really can’t afford to lose Kessler for any extended amount of time,” wrote The Athletic’s Dan Woike. “The Lakers have already decided that Kevon Looney isn’t a workable backup center, and they have limited trade assets to address that (at a time when supply for backup centers is low and demand around the league outside of the Lakers is high).”
It is a credit to the Lakers that they have opened the season with an 11-2 record, tying the defending Western Conference champion San Antonio Spurs for the best mark in the NBA. Once the Lakers grab their much-needed frontcourt reinforcement, their ceiling will instantly be elevated.
“The Lakers are still monitoring the market for big men, team sources told The Athletic,” Woike reported. “They traded for Walker Kessler and signed Kevon Looney to play center, and (Sandro) Mamukelashvili can play the position, too. The team could address the position either by trade or signing, like with potentially adding (Matisse) Thybulle. The roster is currently at full capacity.”
Lakers Get Good Trade News on a $20M Center Target as Deal Becomes Realistic