Bleacher Report names Lakers’ top three trade targets
With the Los Angeles Lakers still grappling with a .500 record past the halfway point of the season, the trade market is one of the few ways the team can search for upgrades.
The Lakers’ vision over the summer included trading for a third star to compliment LeBron James and Anthony Davis. That search produced Russell Westbrook, but the move has not worked out the way L.A. wanted.
The free agent signings primarily consisted of veterans past their primes on one-year deals for the minimum. So far, Kent Bazemore, DeAndre Jordan, Trevor Ariza and Wayne Ellington have all looked washed. Rajon Rondo was traded for little return to the Cleveland Cavaliers.
If the Lakers try to trade for upgrades, Greg Swartz of Bleacher Report named one dream, realistic and sneaky target for Los Angeles:
Dream target: Eric Gordon
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Swartz writes:
The Lakers simply don’t have enough trade equity to be serious players for Jerami Grant, Ben Simmons, Myles Turner or any other big name on the trade market — not with multiple first-round picks still owed the New Orleans Pelicans for Anthony Davis.
Gordon is probably the best this team could do. He’s an elite outside shooter this season (46.1%) who can get to the rim and do a bit of playmaking for others. Simply matching salaries could be an issue, however. It would cost the Lakers Talen Horton-Tucker and either Kendrick Nunn or a pair of minimum-contract guys to make the money work.
Analysis: Gordon is certainly enticing. He can play the 1 or 2 and give a ton of effort on the defensive end as he’s shown with the Houston Rockets. The major drawback is his contract. He is making $18 million this year, $19 million next year and then $20 million before becoming an unrestricted free agent in 2024. He is currently 33, so there’s no telling when Gordon’s decline will kick in. If the Lakers think he pushes the needle to at least compete this season or the next, then it makes sense. But the deal could look messy not too far into the future if it goes south.
Realistic target: Kenrich Williams
AP Photo/Bruce Kluckhohn
Swartz writes:
Kenrich Williams and his $2 million salary are much more attainable, although the Thunder should begin asking for a first-round pick in return for their three-and-D star. The Lakers can’t trade a first-rounder until 2027 and may have to offer a collection of second-rounders and/or Malik Monk instead.
Analysis: Kenrich Williams is making $2 million a year before becoming an unrestricted free agent in 2023. The 6-foot-6 27-year-old forward doesn’t need the ball to make an impact and would certainly bolster this team’s versatility. He’s shooting 38.2% from deep on 2.3 attempts, but he’s a pest defensively and wing defenders like him are scarce.
That first-round pick, however, could net the Lakers a stronger talent with a larger arsenal, and parting with Malik Monk isn’t ideal considering the scoring he brings to the table. Williams will not replicate that. If the Oklahoma City Thunder accepts second-round picks, that’s a deal worth taking.
Sneaky target: Lou Williams
AP Photo/John Bazemore
Swartz writes:
Making a potential return to Los Angeles, Lou Williams would be an intriguing option. He’s struggled with the Hawks this season, but he was an important part of the Clippers just a year ago and could provide some instant offense off the bench.
Analysis: This is a trade the Lakers should not do. The Lakers already tried the reunion route with numerous veterans coming during the summer, and all but Dwight Howard and Avery Bradley — to certain extents — have been serviceable. Lou Williams, 35, is shooting 38.3% overall and 30.9% from deep. He becomes an unrestricted free agent in the summer. It’s a risk for the Lakers and one not worth losing assets on. Kenrich, at the right price, is the better Williams of the bunch.
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