The Los Angeles Lakers are interested in upgrading the frontcourt next to Walker Kessler, and one name that has recently emerged as a top target in new trade rumors is Naz Reid of the Charlotte Hornets.
While Reid is putting up a strong 17.3 points, 8.5 rebounds, and 2.2 assists through 12 games, he has been deemed a potential trade candidate this season, as he doesn’t fit with Charlotte and has gotten into a public altercation with his coach, Charles Lee.
With that, the Lakers have been named a team in the mix for the top trade target, despite his $125 million contract being a ton of money to add to the books. Los Angeles reportedly already pursued a Reid trade over the summer, and while young assets would have to be moved in a deal, he remains likely the best player available to significantly raise the Lakers’ ceiling this season.
Lakers Naz Reid Trade Would Include Young Talent
If the Lakers are serious about going after Reid, who appears to be available according to recent trade rumors, the front office would likely need to give up young talent in a move.
Cameron Carr and Adou Thiero are two young players the Lakers would almost certainly need to include in a deal, as Charlotte would want back young talent by sending Reid out. However, the good news is that Los Angeles is reportedly interested in trading the two players anyways, and with the team’s poor history of not developing rising talent, moving on from each to add an established veteran might be in the Lakers’ best interest regardless.
“The problem for the Lakers’ pursuit of a Reid trade is LA’s lack of trade assets. All they have to draw from is a first-round swap and three second-round picks,” Colin Keane wrote. “Carr and Thiero are two young players with a ton of potential…Given the Lakers’ meager trade offerings, they’d probably have to make the painful decision to include Carr and possibly also Thiero in an offer to Charlotte if they wanted to win a Reid sweepstakes.
Multiple Lakers trade ideas for Reid include moving Carr and Thiero in the process. Bleacher Report and Fadeaway World have mock trades that use one or both in a deal, and as team reporter Jovan Buha said earlier in the season, if moving either lands a player who upgrades the ceiling of the roster, it’s likely the best move to take.
“The more I think about it, I am coming around to potentially trading Adou or Carr in the right deal,” he said on 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…And if that’s the case, I don’t know if the Lakers can wait.”
Los Angeles doesn’t tend to develop young talent, and with Reid potentially available in the trade market, moving on from the two young players, at least one pick, and likely Jarred Vanderbilt to match salaries, that still feels like a good enough package to land the former Sixth Man of the Year to slot him into the starting power forward spot.
Los Angeles Could Revisit Top Big Man Target
As mentioned, the Lakers already explored a trade for Reid, per The Athletic’s Dan Woike.
“The Lakers were very interested in finding an offensive-minded four this summer. They called on Naz Reid early on. They didn’t make what I would consider to be, like, a very serious offer for Naz Reid. But they called and checked in. I think he was one of the players [where] they identified teams that had some salary pressure points,” he said on the Zach Lowe Show. “Like maybe there was a way you could get a guy for 75 cents [on the dollar]…That was a player that they looked at. I think, again, didn’t really put a real offer on the table for him but if Minnesota was in a sell-off, they were willing to say ‘Hey, maybe we can save you some money here.'”
Reid is in the middle of a five-year, $125 million deal, and adding that money would be tough on the Lakers’ salary cap. However, as Keane mentioned, with his spacing and shooting ability, plus some extra help on the defensive end, Reid could bring a lot that elevates this 2026-27 roster even higher.
“Reid’s shot-making ability would keep the lane clear for Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves. He’s also a capable rebounder, a versatile defender, and a big-game player who has a ton of Western Conference postseason experience already at 27 years old,” he wrote.
Additionally, as Bleacher Report’s Eric Pincus discussed after throwing out a Lakers trade idea for Reid, they bring in a strong offensive player while cutting ties with a few names who likely aren’t drastically changing the ceiling of this team.
“The front office built around the Luka Dončić–Austin Reaves-Kessler trio as well as it could, but the Lakers’ lack of bench depth has already been exposed. If the Hornets were willing to take L.A.’s package for Reid, the Lakers would jump at the opportunity—even giving up two young prospects they value highly in Carr and Thiero,” Pincus wrote.
“Reid would presumably start at power forward, then rotate to center when Kessler sits…They add high-end depth, and Reid is a significant offensive upgrade.”
If Reid is available, even if the Lakers would need to give up young talent, Pelinka should still pounce on the opportunity. It might be a big risk, but with what the team has shown this season, it’s the perfect time to do everything possible to maximize Doncic’s prime and give him a roster worthy of true title contention.
New Lakers Naz Reid Trade Rumors Come With Positive Development