As the Los Angeles Lakers look to improve their roster this summer, their biggest need remains 3-point shooting.
Shooting was the Lakers’ greatest weakness during the 2020-21 season as they ranked 21st in the league, shooting 35.4% from deep as a team. The weakness was especially apparent during the postseason when they shot just 29.9% from three in their series against the Phoenix Suns.
Given the Lakers’ lack of cap space this summer, they may have to look to the trade market if they want to add some outside shooting.
It appears they are doing just that as Ian Begley of SNY is reporting that they have shown interest in Landry Shamet of the Brooklyn Nets:
The Dallas Mavericks and Los Angeles Lakers are among the teams interested in trading for Brooklyn’s Landry Shamet ahead of Thursday’s draft, per SNY sources.
Several teams have communicated with the Nets about possible trades for Shamet. Most of those scenarios involve the Nets receiving the team’s first-round pick.
Shamet is coming off a season in which he shot 38.7% from three on 5.5 attempts. The 24-year-old is a career 39.7% shooter from beyond the arc so he would definitely help with the Lakers’ shooting issues.
If a deal is to take place it would likely happen before or during Thursday night’s draft since picks could be involved. The Lakers own the No. 22 overall pick but have reportedly been looking to move down.
The Nets pick 27th so perhaps they are willing to include Shamet to move up to 22nd if they like a specific prospect that wouldn’t otherwise fall to them. Shamet is entering the final year of his rookie contract and is extension eligible this summer, which is why he’s being shopped on the trade market.
Kyle Kuzma is also someone the Lakers have been dangling in trade talks, so perhaps there is a deal to be had that works out well for both sides.
Lakers trade for Hield viewed as most likely
In addition to Shamet, the Lakers have been linked to just about every big-name guard on the trade and free-agent markets. It’s unclear how those talks have progressed, but it was recently reported that the most likely scenario of the bunch is them completing a trade with the Sacramento Kings for Buddy Hield.
Hield is another sharpshooter from deep, so if they acquire him then they would have less of a need for Shamet.
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