The annual NBA trade deadline is less than three weeks away, and the Los Angeles Lakers have reportedly been one of the most active teams on the market.
With a sub .500 record and currently out of the Play-In Tournament, it’s clear the Lakers need to make a move to bolster the roster to give LeBron James and Anthony Davis a legitimate chance at competing in the postseason. Los Angeles has managed to stack impressive wins in the past few days, so the prevailing thought should be to try and improve the team as much as possible for the stretch run.
As far as who the Lakers should be targeting, they’ve been linked to wings like Bojan Bogdanovic and Cam Reddish in recent weeks. Bogdanovic is having a great year scoring and shooting the ball, while Reddish has prototypical size for a wing that teams deeply covet in today’s game.
However, it looks like L.A. is finally starting to make its push as they are reportedly finalizing a deal to acquire Rui Hachimura from the Washington Wizards, via Shams Charania of The Athletic
The Los Angeles Lakers are finalizing a trade sending guard Kendrick Nunn and three second-round picks to the Washington Wizards for Rui Hachimura, sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium. https://t.co/aTP7eYyGOh
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) January 23, 2023
Sources: Lakers are sending the 2023 Chicago second-rounder, their own 2029 second-rounder and the Wizards/Lakers less favorable second-rounder in 2028 in the Kendrick Nunn-for-Rui Hachimura trade.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) January 23, 2023
Hachimura is the perfect flyer for the Lakers as he’s only 24 years old and at 6’8″ can score the basketball. His time with the Wizards has been one of inconsistency as he’s flashed the tools and skillset that made him intriguing as a lottery pick, but just hasn’t been able to put it all together quite yet.
For the 2022-23 season, Hachimura is averaging 13 points and 4.3 rebounds in only 24.3 minutes per game. The forward is caught in a front-court logjam as he has to share minutes with both Kristaps Porzingis and Kyle Kuzma, so it makes sense why Washington is willing to deal him.
Sending out Kendrick Nunn’s expiring deal and multiple seconds is a great deal for the Lakers, who will still have their first-round picks to trade should they pursue more deals. Hachimura should help L.A. immediately and it’ll be exciting to see him suit up for the team.
Anthony Davis looks phenomenal in scrimmage
The good news keeps piling up for the Lakers who are also expecting Anthony Davis to return soon to the lineup. Davis recently participated in a scrimmage with teammates and Darvin Ham noted that he looked phenomenal.
Have you subscribed to our YouTube channel? It’s the best way to watch player interviews, exclusive coverage from events, participate in live shows, and more!
