Lakers Open to Trading First-Round Picks in Blockbuster Deal, Says GM Rob Pelinka

Noah Camras | Sep 25, 2024

Jul 2, 2024; El Segundo, CA, USA; Los Angeles Lakers vice president of basketball operations and general manager Rob Pelinka at a press conference at the UCLA Health Training Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The Los Angeles Lakers are open to trading their first-round picks in the right deal, general manager Rob Pelinka said on Wednesday at a press conference alongside head coach JJ Redick.

Pelinka, however, said the team will only do a deal if it can help secure "sustained Lakers excellence."

"We would do a trade with both picks if that leads to sustainable Lakers excellence," Pelinka said. "We would also use one pick to make a marginal upgrade if we felt that was the right thing to do."

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The Lakers had a quiet offseason this year coming off a disappointing first-round exit to the Denver Nuggets. The only additions they made a majority of the offseason came in the draft, adding guards Dalton Knecht and Bronny James with their two selections. Then, late in the offseason, the Lakers added big man Christian Koloko to bolster the front court.

The Lakers have been linked to just about every big name this offseason. The ones who could still be available for trade are Portland Trail Blazers forward Jerami Grant, Chicago Bulls guard Zach LaVine, and Orlando Magic big man Wendell Carter Jr., among others.

What First-Round Picks Can the Lakers Trade?

ESPN's Bobby Marks laid out the Lakers options for trading first-round picks.

The first-round picks that the Lakers can trade are in 2029 and 2031. The Lakers could technically trade the 2030 first-round pick, but would not be able to combine it with either of the 2029 or 2031 firsts.

The Lakers also have five years of first-round pick swaps available in 2026, 2028, 2029, 2030, and 2031.

The firsts are in 2029 and 2031.

They can trade 2030 but not combined with 2029 or 2031.

They have 5 years of swaps available (26, 28, 29, 30, 31) https://t.co/EerUuVCris

— Bobby Marks (@BobbyMarks42) September 25, 2024

Whether the Lakers make a trade or not, Pelinka made it clear that he feels good about the current roster as constructed. He says the front office believes in the group they have put together, but also said it will take 30 games or so to properly evaluate what the team has this season.

It seems highly unlikely the Lakers make any big deals before the season gets underway. However, once they see what they have, they could be very active as they look to solidify a contender in the waning years of LeBron James' career.

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