With the potential of a Kyrie Irving trade seemingly all but gone, the Los Angeles Lakers must now look elsewhere if they plan on improving the roster anymore before the start of the season. The team has been rumored to have had discussions with other teams like the Indiana Pacers and Utah Jazz, so re-starting those talks is a real possibility.
The Jazz, in particular, are known to be looking to deal away their veteran players as they begin a full rebuild. The likes of Patrick Beverley, Jordan Clarkson, Bojan Bogdanovic and Malik Beasley could all be on the move and that is apparently the kinds of players the Lakers are looking to bring in.
In an appearance on The Pat McAfee Show, Shams Charania of The Athletic noted that the Lakers are open to any deal which can bring them multiple players that improves the team, specifically mentioning Beverley and Bogdanovic as players to keep an eye on:
“I think as of right now, the Lakers are open to anything that will make their team better. So if there’s a deal out there and they can go get multiple different players that makes the team better, I would keep an eye on Patrick Beverley and Bojan Bogdanovic in Utah. Those are the types of guys that if you can go get two or three rotation players to plug onto your team and kind of get better with some parts those are the types of moves I think you’re gonna see the Lakers try to make. I don’t think that they’re done necessarily, I think they’re gonna still try to get this team better.”
The Lakers adding players such as Bogdanovic and Beverley would undoubtedly improve the team greatly, especially if they are also able to ship out Russell Westbrook in such a deal. Beverley would improve the team’s defense and give them a bit of an edge while also giving the Lakers a career 37.8% 3-point shooter.
Bogdanovic isn’t the greatest defender but is an outstanding offensive player who was the second-leading scorer in Utah last season with 18.1 points per game. He would also add an absolute lights-out shooter as his 38.7% mark from deep last season was actually his lowest since 2017.
What a trade like this would cost the Lakers is unclear, but a deal that could bring the Lakers veteran players who have contributed to playoff teams is worth exploring. The front office has been active in trade discussions all offseason so the team could still look different by the time training camp comes around.
Lakers reportedly assure LeBron James of willingness to trade 2027 and 2029 first-round picks
Any deal the Lakers make, in particular one that would involve moving Westbrook, would likely force the team to deal away draft picks. While they have been willing to deal away one first-rounder, they have been hesitant to trade both their 2027 and 2029 picks just to get off the Westbrook deal.
But the team did meet with LeBron James recently and one of the things discussed was the team’s willingness to move both picks. Reportedly the Lakers are willing to deal both picks in a trade, but only if that deal returns the team to true contender status.
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