Lakers Given Strong Odds to Land Jimmy Butler in Blockbuster Deal

The Lakers have given strong odds to land the star in a massive deal.

Dec 4, 2024; Miami, Florida, USA; Miami Heat forward Jimmy Butler (22) drives past Los Angeles Lakers forward Anthony Davis (3) in the first half at Kaseya Center. Mandatory Credit: Jim Rassol-Imagn Images / Jim Rassol-Imagn Images

The Los Angeles Lakers are always on the market for a star. This year's team has two superstars who have been able to stay pretty healthy this year. Both LeBron James and Anthony Davis have been able to be on the court for most of their games, which is very encouraging.

At this moment, the Lakers sit sixth in the Western Conference. They have hit a slide to put them there. They have lost three of their last five games. It's clear that they are in need of another move to help stabilize the roster as they try to navigate the rest of the season.

The trade for Dorian Finney-Smith and Shake Milton was supposed to help them on the defensive end, but their offense has suffered. Without D'Angelo Russell on the roster to promote ball movement, the offense can stagnate at times. Also, the defense hasn't improved as much as they thought it would.

On the season, the Lakers are 23rd in defensive rating. In the five games since they made that trade with Brooklyn, they are 27th. That's not exactly the return they were hoping to have. That might be why they are in the market to acquire a star like Jimmy Butler at the trade deadline.

According to the Bovada Sportsbook, the Lakers have some extremely high odds to land Butler in a trade. They are one of the teams who could make a swing like that on a superstar player. Both the Lakers and the Heat are close to the second apron, so it wouldn't be easy to make a trade.

Adding Butler to the Lakers would give them another player who can handle the ball and create his own shot. He also is a pretty good defender who can play a couple of different positions. The Lakers could also use someone else who has experience playing in the NBA Finals.

Butler has played with four different franchises in his career. In all of the stops he's made, it has ended poorly. Los Angeles would have to make sure that Butler would be happy in L.A. before making such a large move. They probably wouldn't be able to afford to re-sign him, so he might be a one-year rental unless Butler exercises his player option for next year.

The Lakers have a track record of taking big swings with stars. This could be the latest swing they make.

More Lakers news: Lakers’ Bronny James Earns Surprising Amount of All-Star Votes

Lakers Provide Massive Update Regarding Jarred Vanderbilt Ramp Up