Could the Lakers find a trade with the selling Pelicans? https://t.co/viKwvno0cN via @LakersSBN— LakerTom (@LakerTom) June 2, 2025
Could the Lakers find a trade with the selling Pelicans?
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June 2, 2025 2 Comments
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FROM THE ABOVE ARTICLE:
Herb Jones and Trey Murphy
The two players everyone will be calling about will be Murphy and Jones. Both are 3-and-D wings that are going to be highly coveted. At his exit interview, Rob Pelinka spoke about the need for defensive wings and these two would fit that billing.
However, they would also come at a steep cost. There’s a chance the Lakers could put together a package that would be enough to acquire one of them, but does it make sense to spend a lot, or maybe all, of their assets to acquire a wing and not a center?
Yves Missi and Kelly Olynyk
One of the first places the Lakers will look on any roster is going to be the centers. The Pelicans aren’t in a great place in that regard as they were actively looking for centers last season, too.
Missi is a 2024 first round pick who fits the profile of a big the Lakers would want as a lob threat. Last season, he averaged 9.1 points and 8.2 rebounds per game and was 14th in the league in dunks in 26.8 minutes per game across 73 contests.
Considering he’s on an affordable contract akin to Dalton Knecht’s as he was selected just seven picks later, it would be easy for the Lakers to match salaries. But what would New Orleans want in return for one of their better young pieces?
Olynyk, meanwhile, is a polar opposite to Missi. He’s a stretch big man who has carved out a long career in the league, having played 12 seasons. Last season, he played 44 games between Toronto and New Orleans and averaged 8.7 points on 41.8% shooting from range.
He is on a much larger contract at $13.4 million but it is an expiring deal. Perhaps he could be a fallback option for the Lakers if they strike out on everything else in the offseason.