Leading up to the NBA trade deadline, there were plenty of talks about the Los Angeles Lakers making a move to improve their roster to get back into championship contention.
Given their recent play, there was a legitimate argument to be made that they were a piece or two away from being in the mix.
Everything got thrown for a loop on Saturday night, however, when reports came out that the Lakers completed a blockbuster trade with the Dallas Mavericks to acquire Luka Doncic for Anthony Davis.
There were other pieces involved as the Lakers also sent out Max Christie, Jalen Hood-Schifino and a 2029 first-round pick, bringing in Maxi Kleber and Markieff Morris in addition to Doncic.
After flipping Davis for Doncic, the Lakers are now in dire need of frontcourt help. They still have a few days before the trade deadline on Thursday, Feb. 6, and Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press is reporting that people are around the league are expecting Rob Pelinka to make more moves:
A person within the league sends a text: "Everybody knows the Lakers are trying to do more even after this"
— Tim Reynolds (@ByTimReynolds) February 2, 2025
The Lakers only gave up one first-round pick in this trade, so they can still deal their 2031 first-rounder and two second-rounders if they want.
With Kleber and Christian Wood currently out with an injury, the only healthy center on the Lakers roster is Jaxson Hayes. They also have two-way bigs Christian Koloko and Trey Jemison III.
It’s hard to imagine L.A. finishing the season with that little frontcourt depth, so adding another big has to be at the top of the to-do list for Pelinka and the front office leading up to the deadline.
The Lakers have been linked to a variety of centers like Walker Kessler, Nikola Vucevic, Robert Williams and Jakob Poeltl. It will be interesting to see which, if any, are acquired to team up with Doncic, LeBron James and the rest of the Lakers.
LeBron James was shocked to learn about Lakers’ trade for Luka Doncic
The Lakers’ blockbuster trade with the Mavericks for Luka Doncic shocked the entire world, and that includes LeBron James. According to reports, he was out to dinner in New York after the team’s win over the Knicks and was surprised when he learned the trade was happening.
James has long been an admirer of Doncic although obviously has a very close relationship with Anthony Davis as well.
It remains to be seen how LeBron will feel about the trade considering he was caught off guard. If he is unhappy with the Lakers dealing Davis without his approval and doesn’t want to finish his career in the purple and gold alongside Doncic then it’s not out of the realm of possibility that the 40-year-old asks out. James has a full no-trade clause so would be able to control his next destination, if it ever comes to that.
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