Lakers Reportedly Don't Plan to Go After 6-Time All-Star on Trade Market

It doesn't look like the Lakers will go after one of the hottest names floating around the trade market.

Dec 21, 2024; Sacramento, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) and Sacramento Kings guard Malik Monk (0) fight for possession of the ball during the fourth quarter at Golden 1 Center. Mandatory Credit: Ed Szczepanski-Imagn Images / Ed Szczepanski-Imagn Images

Heading into this season, the Los Angeles Lakers were hoping to be a contender for the NBA Championship this season. In two of the last three years, they have been eliminated from the playoffs by the Denver Nuggets. They have made some changes within the lineup and the coaching staff to help with that.

Darvin Ham was fired last year and Rob Pelinka brought in JJ Redick, who has no head coaching experience to take over the job. It looked like the right decision early in the year after they got on to a hot start. After that blistering start, they have cooled off and now look average.

Redick made some lineup changes as well. He decided to remove D'Angelo Russell from the starting lineup to the bench, and he put Cam Reddish in his spot. He wanted to have someone who could play better defense on the wing while he let LeBron James handle more ball-handling duties.

The Lakers are still looking to make some improvements to the roster via a trade. They have their eyes on a few players, but it looks like they will steer clear of one of the hottest names on the market. That player is Miami Heat star Jimmy Butler, who wants out.

According to those around the league, it doesn't look like the Lakers have Butler in their sights. It would be a very expensive trade for them to make with the amount of money that he is slated to make this year and next year with his player-option. It would essentially empty the cupboard for LA.

That doesn't mean that they still can't go after a star. There's a chance that they could still make a trade for Zach Lavine, the other star whose name is on the trade block. He is younger than Butler, which would make him more attractive to the Lakers if they are going to pay a lot of money to someone.

The Lakers aren't expected to make any sort of trade until the trade deadline, which is in mid-February. At that point, they can start to make assessments about the future of their roster. They are in win-now mode, so it may not matter how much they have to give up to get the right player.

Los Angeles usually improves their roster by signing big-time free agents and making trades. That might happen again this year.

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