The Lakers desperately need help
The Los Angeles Lakers were one of the best teams after the trade deadline last year after they traded for D'Angelo Russell, Mo Bamba, Rui Hachimura, and other key role players. With a healthy LeBron and Anthony Davis, the Lakers made the Western Conference Finals where they got swept the Denver Nuggets. LeBron James was asking the Lakers front office to make a move for Kyrie Irving. But instead, the Lakers went for depth and resigned their role players. They signed players like Taurean Prince, Christian Wood, and Gabe Vincent which added a lot of depth behind LeBron and AD. But almost at the halfway mark, the Lakers are struggling to make the playoffs as they are the 9th seed in the Western Conference and are barely managing to make the playoffs. And, LeBron has a player option for next year so the team might be terrible by next season. So it is important that they win this season or else they might be without a future. But who should the Los Angeles Lakers trade for? How high will their ceiling be around another good player? And how do the Lakers start a rebuild if they do not manage to land a superstar? We have it all explained in this blog but before you start reading, I would suggest and really like it if you guys would follow us on blogger and on X(@GYNBlogs0718) and share this blog to support us. Now, let's get started
What will be the Lakers' ceiling with another star player?
The Lakers are in a deep Western Conference where they will be competing with teams like the Dallas Mavericks, Sacramento Kings, New Orleans Pelicans, LA Clippers, Phoenix Suns, OKC Thunder, and Minnesota Timberwolves. The question remains the same: is Dejounte Murray enough to help them win an NBA title. LeBron knows that his time is running out to win another NBA championship, so if they don't win this year or next year(depending on where LeBron is next season), they will need to start rebuilding. I think the Lakers can make a conference semifinals with another star player but it will be tough for the Lakers to beat teams after that. In the conference semifinals, I would not take them over teams like the Phoenix Suns, Minnesota Timberwolves, Sacramento Kings, or the Dallas Mavericks. Their bench is one of the worst in the NBA and the worst part is that their bench can't play defense which is key to stopping teams like the Nuggets or the Suns. What will happen to the Lakers if they lose LeBron after this season?
The Lakers will not be able to contend in a deep Western Conference. The Suns, Timberwolves, Grizzlies, Thunder, Kings, and Mavericks are for sure going to be better than the Lakers. But the free agent class is relatively better than last year. This year, there are restricted free agents like Paul George, and Jrue Holiday and unrestricted free agents like James Harden, DeMar DeRozan, and Pascal Siakam. There are great role players like Buddy Hield, Mike Conley, Tobias Harris, and Spencer Dinwiddie. So if LeBron left the Lakers, there is a very good free agent class in 2024-25. But what if the Lakers don't manage to get a good free agent. There will only be one option for the Lakers which will be to rebuild. They could rebuild around Anthony Davis or trade him for a huge package. There will be teams like the Thunder, Mavericks, Knicks, Heat, and Grizzlies who will be in the market for a superstar like AD. The Lakers could demand a good young player and pick who will help them rebuild. I kind of view the Lakers rebuild like the Nets rebuild because the Nets traded Kevin Durant for two good young players, 4 first-round picks, and a pick swap. The Lakers could receive a similar package if AD makes an all-NBA and possibly wins Defensive Player of the Year. Then AD would reach at the peak of his value and teams might overpay to get him. Here is a list of possible trade packages the Lakers could receive
1. The Heat get
- Anthony Davis
The Lakers get
- Bam Adebayo
- Duncan Robinson
- 2029 first-round pick
- 2030 first-round pick swap
Honestly, the Lakers get a good piece in Bam Adebayo to rebuild around but might reject this trade because of the lack of picks in this deal. This deal might go down if LeBron goes back to the Heat and recruits Anthony Davis to the Heat
2. The Knicks get
- Anthony Davis
The Lakers get
- Quentin Grimes (sign-and-trade)
- Evan Fournier
- Mitchell Robinson
- Josh Hart
- 2025 Knicks first-round pick
- 2027 Knicks first-round pick
- 2029 Knicks first-round pick swap
This is a very good trade as they get a good young player in Quentin Grimes and get role players like Josh Hart and Evan Fournier. And, they get a very good rim protector in Mitchell Robinson. The future first-round picks are the key to the trade as the Lakers do not have many first-round picks and it would be good to recoup some assets. But there is an even better trade available
3. The OKC Thunder get
- Anthony Davis
The Lakers get
- Jalen Williams
- Lugrentz Dort
- Aaron Wiggins
- 2025 OKC first-round pick
- 2025 PHI first-round pick (protected 1-6)
- 2027 DEN first-round pick (protected 1-5)
- 2028 OKC first-round pick swap
This is the best deal the Lakers could get. The Thunder have a substantial amount of draft picks that they won't even need. Instead, they send those picks with Jalen Williams, who is a future all-star caliber player, to get Anthony Davis. Imagine a lineup with Shai, Josh Giddey, Chet, AD, and Cason Wallace. That will be the best possible starting lineup in the NBA. I think OKC will be the favorites if they trade for someone like Anthony Davis. The Lakers get an amazing player in J-dub and a haul of draft picks to rebuild with.
What will be the future for the Lakers?
In the end, the Lakers will have to rebuild. LeBron James will retire and the Lakers will not be able to contend unless they go through a rebuild. They can acquire a haul of picks and players for AD start the rebuild and keep tanking to get good draft picks. We could see the Lakers build a good core which they haven't built since they drafted Kobe Bryant. We could potentially see another Lakers dynasty if they start rebuilding through the draft but I do not see the Lakers winning any future championships unless they go through a rebuild. But at the end of the day, this is just my opinion. Comment your opinion at the end of this blog in the comments section and if you like NBA content or liked this blog, follow us on Blogger and Twitter and share this blog with your friends. But what was the entire saga between James Harden and the Philadelphia 76ers and how did the Harden trade affect the 76ers and the Clippers? Check that article out here.
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