The NBA trade deadline is less than one week away. By Thursday, Feb. 6 at 12:00 p.m. PT, all trades will be made and rosters will be largely finalized for the second half of the season outside of buyout additions. The big question surrounding the Los Angeles Lakers is what assets they’ll be willing to sacrifice and what they are looking to do over the next five days.
Most of the rumors swirling have had to do with the Lakers adding a center. The team has reportedly been looking to add another quality big man all season long, but that was fueled by Anthony Davis publicly requesting to be moved back to the power forward with a starting-caliber center by his side. It’s unclear if there are even any options available on the market, and if their price tag is one the Lakers are willing to pay.
But reportedly, there is a different desire within the Lakers roster other than adding a big man, according to Dan Woike of The L.A. Times:
A center also is not the Lakers’ lone need. According to players inside the locker room discouraged from publicly discussing trade targets, there’s a desire for more playmaking, a need that’s become clear since the team traded D’Angelo Russell.
Shake Milton, acquired with Finney-Smith in the Russell trade, has struggled off the bench, and the team could look for a more dynamic player to give their backup backcourt more pop alongside Gabe Vincent.
The Lakers knew this might be an issue when they dealt D’Angelo Russell for Dorian Finney-Smith, but clearly felt that it was a worthwhile risk. Finney-Smith instantly helped raise the team’s defensive ceiling and has already spent some time in the starting lineup, but the lack of secondary playmakers after Austin Reaves and LeBron James has been apparent at times.
It’s unclear what type of deals might be available to land this type of player. Quality playmakers are expensive and hard to come by in the NBA, and the Lakers may not have the assets required to land one. But that’s what the next five days are for figuring out.
Lakers not willing to include Austin Reaves in De’Aaron Fox deal
One playmaker that is reportedly available on the trade market is All-Star De’Aaron Fox, who the Sacramento Kings are weighing moving on from. Fox’s preferred destination is the San Antonio Spurs by all accounts, but the Lakers may want to get involved given their need for a playmaker.
But they have reportedly made it clear that they do not want to deal away Austin Reaves in any iteration of a Fox trade.
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