With the NBA Draft and free agency coming up quickly, Rob Pelinka and the Los Angeles Lakers have a lot of key decisions to make in order to get back into championship contention.
Now that they have a head coach in place in JJ Redick, the focus can begin to shift to the roster and who they can add through the draft, trades or free agency.
Given the team’s lack of cap space, if they want to add an impact veteran it will likely have to come via trade. They do have three tradable first-round picks at their disposal though, so some significant moves can be out there for Pelinka.
The Lakers have already been linked to a number of star players with Dejounte Murray being the latest. One other name they have been linked to in the past though is Portland Trail Blazers wing Jerami Grant and L.A. appears to still be interested, per Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports:
Los Angeles has also made that No. 17 selection available via trade, sources said, as the Lakers have evaluated the market for a significant contributor alongside James and Davis. The Lakers, remember, held serious talks with Atlanta about acquiring Dejounte Murray in the lead-up to February’s trade deadline. Jerami Grant, a client of Klutch Sports CEO Rich Paul, is believed to be another potential addition on the Lakers’ wishlist, according to league sources.
Grant is coming off one of the best seasons of his career with Portland, averaging 21.0 points, 3.5 rebounds and 2.8 assists while shooting 40.2% from deep. He would provide the Lakers with size on the wing as well as three-and-D ability, which the organization has lacked in recent years.
The 30-year-old is entering the second year of a five-year, $160 million contract though, so the Lakers would need to put together contracts to match that salary as well as the presumed draft capital that the Trail Blazers would look for.
Unless the Lakers are willing to trade Austin Reaves, which they have shown no indication of doing, the package for Grant would likely be build around Rui Hachimura, Gabe Vincent and picks.
Lakers also interested in Collin Sexton
The Lakers can also use some three-and-D ability in their backcourt as point of attack defense was a big weakness last year. One player who could help address that is Collin Sexton of the Utah Jazz, and the Lakers are believed to have interest in him as well.
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