The Lakers pose a significant threat to acquire Giannis Antetokounmpo this offseason, unless he is traded before the deadline, per @TheSteinLine 😳 pic.twitter.com/w5bcfnussX— Polymarket Hoops (@PolymarketHoops) February 4, 2026

Don't count the Lakers out of the Giannis Antetokounmpo sweepstakes: https://t.co/8mOR1tE2jI— Ryan Ward (@RyanWardLA) February 4, 2026

GOAT Tings 👑🐐Lebron vs. Brooklyn Nets25 PTS3 REB7 AST3 STL+/- +2465.5 TS% #lebronjames #losangeles #lakers #nba #basketball #nbabasketball #fyp #nbayoungboy pic.twitter.com/YkEl2UZW5J— The boy (@iimshodi) February 4, 2026

While Dort is kind of a punk I’d still be thrilled to get him on the squad.

FROM ABOVE ARTICLE:

With the Jazz landing Jaren Jackson Jr., the Lakers may have a realistic shot at Walker Kessler.

The Los Angeles Lakers have been linked to Utah Jazz big man Walker Kessler for the better part of the past two seasons. Los Angeles has a well-known interest in improving the quality and depth at the center position and Kessler offers captivating value as a rim protector and rebounder.

Though Kessler seemed to be out of reach with restricted free agency looming, the Jazz’s recent trade for Jaren Jackson Jr. could make him available to the Lakers for the right price.

Kessler, who’s still just 24 years of age, started all 58 games he played in 2024-25 and each of his five appearances in 2025-26 before a shoulder injury prematurely ended his season. He remains a hot commodity on the open market, however, as a young and productive big who can anchor an interior.

The Jazz seemingly called Kessler’s future with the franchise into question, however, when they completed a shocking trade for Jackson.

BREAKING: The Memphis Grizzlies are trading star forward Jaren Jackson Jr., John Konchar, Jock Landale and Vince Williams Jr. to the Utah Jazz for Walter Clayton Jr., Kyle Anderson, Taylor Hendricks, Georges Niang and three future first-round picks, sources tell ESPN. pic.twitter.com/ax6oQpZx0S

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) February 3, 2026
With potential lineups that would see Jackson at the 5 and Markkanen at the 4, it’s fair to question if Kessler still has a long-term place in Utah. Moreover, it’s reasonable to believe the Lakers can now be a realistic destination for him in free agency.

Jazz trade for Jaren Jackson Jr., call Walker Kessler’s future into question

Kessler will be a restricted free agent this summer, meaning Utah will be able to match any offer he receives. As such, the Lakers could submit their best possible proposal to Kessler and still find themselves unable to bring the big man to Los Angeles.

To make matters worse, Tony Jones of The Athletic quickly reported that the Jackson trade hasn’t necessarily changed how the Jazz feel about Kessler as a long-term asset.

League Sources: Utah’s move for JJJ will not affect the Jazz’ interest in keeping Walker Kessler long term. The Jazz are doing this envisioning JJJ/Lauri/Kessler frontcourt

— Tony Jones (@Tjonesonthenba) February 3, 2026

There are more factors at play than Utah’s intentions and ambitions, however, now that Jackson is in the fold. Though Kessler is a restricted free agent, he has some level of control over his future with the franchise and could utilize that leverage to achieve a change of scenery if he feels pushed out by Jackson’s presence.

That was on display during the 2025 offseason, when Quentin Grimes accepted his qualifying offer from the Philadelphia 76ers to create a 2026 period of unrestricted free agency.

Lakers need dominoes to fall in their favor, but can pursue Walker Kessler

In the event that the Lakers are able to sign Kessler in either 2026 or 2027, it would at least be worth considering doing so. He’s an elite shot-blocker who boasts career averages of 2.4 blocks per game and 3.4 per 36 minutes.

Kessler also has career averages of 13.5 points, 13.2 rebounds, 4.8 offensive boards, and 1.7 assists per 36 minutes, thus revealing his well-rounded nature as an interior player.

With Kessler in the fold, the Lakers could finally move forward with a legitimate rim protector on defense. They could also trust him to create second chances and potentially work the pick and roll with Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves.

Nothing is imminent, but there’s never been more reason to believe that Kessler is a realistic target for the Lakers than after the Jackson trade made a summer departure at least worth hoping for.

Rival teams are now wondering about Walker Kessler’s future with the Jazz ahead of the deadline.Due a lucrative extension this summer, Utah now has Lauri Markkanen and Jaren Jackson Jr. on max deals.JJJ to Utah is about to set off a huge domino effect over the next 48 hours. pic.twitter.com/2IepK2VoSM— Evan Sidery (@esidery) February 3, 2026

They’re gonna pay Keyonte and Kessler? With Lauri and Jaren on already on max contracts, not possible.KessLA soon. pic.twitter.com/ASsOxGF8Tj— Gregory Hendricks (@_HNNDRX) February 3, 2026

POTENTIAL UTAH JAZZ STARTING LINEUPKeyonte George Ace Bailey Lauri Markkanen Jaren Jackson JrWalker Kessler pic.twitter.com/kZhZYt8jom— Fullcourtpass (@Fullcourtpass) February 3, 2026

The Jazz will NOT be trading Walker Kessler, sources confirm to @ClutchPoints.All indications point to Kessler, who will be a RFA in the offseason, receiving a new long-term deal from the Jazz. https://t.co/3hxEr9vjqe— Brett Siegel (@BrettSiegelNBA) February 3, 2026

I’d like this better than the Dort trade.

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.