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  1. FROM ABOVE ARTICLE:

    The moves to consider now, even if it means less flexibility this summer

    With the trade deadline just two days away, it’s time to ramp things up. This is the next entry in the Lakers Trade Deadline Series, narrowing the focus to players worth a package built around the Lakers’ only tradable first-round pick, even if it comes at the expense of summer flexibility. If you missed the first piece in the series, the one laying out the key strategic move that should guide every other decision at the deadline and beyond, it’s worth a quick detour before continuing here.

    Lakers Trade Deadline Series: You Have to Start in the Middle
    Iztok Franko
    ·
    Feb 1
    Lakers Trade Deadline Series: You Have to Start in the Middle

    The NBA trade deadline is just a couple of days away, which means all eyes are on Rob Pelinka and the Lakers front office.

    For this one, I tried to put myself in Rob Pelinka’s shoes. For weeks now, I, along with many other analysts, have been urging the Lakers front office to make a move now. The idea is to start reshaping the roster by bringing in at least one piece that can be part of the future, rather than taking the riskier path of waiting and hoping for a set of big bang moves in the summer.

    But what do those moves actually look like in practice? What can realistically be done this week with limited assets, when the Lakers have only one tradable first round pick and a collection of expiring contracts? One argument is that the package does not have to be static. With some creativity, that single first could be flipped into multiple assets, expanding the range of possibilities. The Lakers also have one second round pick available, along with several future first round swaps that can be used to sweeten offers. On top of that, players like Rui Hachimura, Jake LaRavia, and even Marcus Smart still carry real league value and could be used as part of a larger deal.

    Maybe this list is too optimistic, and the price for some of the players mentioned ends up well beyond what the Lakers could realistically put together this week. Still, the goal here was to focus on players I believe are at least remotely attainable, rather than slipping into pure fantasy. That is why names like Trey Murphy III, Jaden McDaniels, or Jaren Jackson Jr. are not included, despite how much they would fit on paper.

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    Why the list is shorter than you might think

    Before I jump into names, let me explain why my final list is shorter than I initially planned. The first and most important premise is that the first round pick and other assets should only be used if they bring back a clear starter, one who fits the future timeline alongside Luka Dončić and Austin Reaves.

    The second challenge is availability. There are plenty of interesting players on my radar who simply cannot be traded at the deadline, either because they are not yet trade eligible or because they are still on rookie contracts and have already signed extensions. In those cases, any deal would trigger the so-called poison pill provision, making a deadline trade unrealistic. Players like AJ Green, Aaron Nesmith, Keegan Murray, or P.J. Washington fall into this category. They are exactly the type of players I would consider trading a first-round-pick-centered package for, but they are not realistic options this week.

    Herb Jones

    I know this is the name everyone has circled. It is also the player we keep hearing the Lakers do not have the assets for. My friend Marc Stein recently reported that the Pelicans’ asking price for Jones and Murphy III would need to resemble a Desmond Bane-type return, which last summer meant four future first round picks plus a first round pick swap. While I could see Murphy III commanding that kind of return, I do not buy it for Jones. Despite his defensive prowess, his offensive ceiling and overall upside are meaningfully lower, which makes that price point much harder to justify. So if there is even a remote chance that the Lakers can package their first round pick, their second, and some of the other aforementioned assets, I would want them to stay persistent right up until the deadline buzzer to see if a deal can be done.

    That speaks to how much of a Herb Jones homer I am, and how strongly I believe in his potential to be an All Defense level disruptor again on a competitive, serious team. For anyone who may have forgotten, Herb Jones made the All Defensive First Team in the 2023–24 season and is 27 years old, which fits the Luka timeline perfectly. Yes, there are shooting concerns. Jones has had only one strong three-point shooting season so far in his first five years in the NBA. Still, I believe there is room for improvement at his age, and we are seeing a similar dynamic play out with Marcus Smart, whose overall impact on games remains significant despite his shooting limitations. And at this stage of their careers, Jones is a far more impactful defender than Smart, which is what ultimately tips the scale for me.

    Nic Claxton

    Claxton was one of the key names in my first article analyzing the potential future building blocks at center, so I will not go into too much detail again here. Just a couple of additional thoughts here.

    I am not quite as sold on Claxton’s long term fit as I am with Jones. If Jones is an eight or nine on a ten point scale, I would have Claxton closer to a seven, mainly because of concerns around size and rebounding and the downstream implications for the rest of the frontcourt. In that scenario, you would need to pair him with a strong, reliable rebounder alongside him. What makes a trade for Claxton right now especially enticing is that I think it is the most direct way to improve the current iteration of the team built around Dončić, Reaves, and LeBron James. For this group, replacing Ayton with Claxton would have much larger on court implications than, for example, swapping Smart for Jones in the starting lineup.

    Luguentz Dort

    This one is a total long shot, but it is still worth asking the question. If the Oklahoma City Thunder, who project to be one of the league’s most expensive teams next season and a likely second apron team, feel any urgency to resolve their difficult summer decision between Dort and Isaiah Hartenstein, Dort would be the name I would inquire about.

    Dort is having a down season by his standards, with his lowest scoring and minutes output since his rookie year. One of the Thunder’s more obvious flaws right now is wing shooting, which is where a player like Rui Hachimura could make some sense. The Thunder have enough defensive talent to cover for his limitations on that end, while also softening the impact of potentially moving on from Dort. And with Alex Caruso on a long term deal, and Cason Wallace and Ajay Mitchell both needing extensions and raises in the near future, it is at least plausible that Dort becomes the odd man out.

    The Thunder will most likely want to give this group another run at a title before making any difficult decisions. Still, it is a call worth making.

    Andrew Wiggins

    If my confidence meter for trading for Jones is at a nine, and Claxton sits closer to a seven, then Wiggins lands around a five. This is the type of move that would require a long, serious look before pulling the trigger. Swapping someone like Hachimura and a few lesser assets for Wiggins would be close to a no brainer for me, even with his thirty million dollar player option for the 2026–27 season. Wiggins is levels above Hachimura as an athlete, an on ball defender, a defensive playmaker, and a rebounder, even though he is a much less efficient scorer.

    Once a first round pick enters the conversation, though, it becomes a much riskier proposition. Wiggins will turn 31 at the end of the month and is moving past his athletic prime. And while I loved his role as the primary stopper on the Warriors title team, even at his peak the advanced metrics never projected him to be on the true elite wing defender tier occupied by players like Herb Jones, Jaden McDaniels, or OG Anunoby.

    Myles Turner

    This was an unexpected name I ran across, and one I did not include in my big men analysis earlier in the week. The thought process here is tied to the possibility that the Milwaukee Bucks could pivot toward a full rebuild, with a Giannis Antetokounmpo trade on the horizon. This move would be even riskier than trading for Wiggins, with Turner having three more years on his contract that would pay him $29.1 million if he picks up his player option for the 2028–29 season.

    I would consider a deal for Turner only if the Lakers do not see a viable path to a younger, more Dončić compatible big, such as Walker Kessler, Claxton, or some of the other names I discussed in my big men piece. So, considering how much the Lakers value future flexibility and a clean cap sheet, this outcome feels highly unlikely. Maybe the Lakers could get opportunistic and explore using their expirings, or a package built around Rui Hachimura and Deandre Ayton, to take Turner’s long term deal off the Bucks’ books without giving up draft compensation.

    The reason I would still give Turner some consideration, mostly as a matter of due diligence, is that despite not being an athletic lob threat and, like Wiggins, showing signs of decline from his peak, he remains one of the better rim protecting big men in the NBA. I would even argue that his advanced impact data still grades out better than any of the big men I included in my center deep dive earlier this week, with the exception of Jarrett Allen. And yes, if there is any chance the Lakers can get Allen at the deadline, I would be all for it. Turner is also one of the better shooting big men in the league and a strong pick-and-pop option. He was a key part of two high level offenses that gave Tyrese Haliburton and Antetokounmpo the spacing they needed to operate.

    I would love to hear your thoughts in the comments, especially if you have another name in mind who might be worth sacrificing the first-round pick and other assets for at the deadline. If so, I may even expand this list and update the article in the coming days.

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