Lakers Reportedly Have Two Star Big Man as Trade Targets Ahead of Deadline

Ricardo Sandoval | Nov 9, 2024

Oct 15, 2023; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard D'Angelo Russell (1) moves the ball against Milwaukee Bucks center Brook Lopez (11) in the first quarter at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jonathan Hui-Imagn Images / Jonathan Hui-Imagn Images

The Los Angeles Lakers are always looking for ways to improve their roster, and this season is no different. Through nine games, the Lakers have a 5-4 record and are looking to compete with the best teams in the league. 

As things stand, they are not the team they want to be, meaning a trade will likely be on the horizon. The Lakers are always at the forefront of trades, and it is likely they will finally pull the trigger on a trade prior to the NBA trade deadline. 

It is unknown who it will be for, but Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report believes it could be either Jonas Valanciunas or Brook Lopez. The Laker who could make his way out the door in this instance is guard D’Angelo Russell. 

"D’Angelo Russell is on the block and is going to be available as outgoing salary for the Lakers. The center spot is a spot that we know Los Angeles has been looking to upgrade and will be looking to upgrade. We mentioned Brook Lopez at the top of this show; he is someone that I was told is on the Lakers' list of potential targets. As we said before, JonasValanciunas is another name I'd keep an eye on for the future there, and someone that I was told over the summer was on the Lakers internal board of center options." 

REPORT: Jonas Valanciunas and Brook Lopez are two targets on the Lakers “internal board”, per @JakeLFischer.

D’Angelo Russell is expected to be available as “outgoing salary”. pic.twitter.com/6NwNXh4g1o

— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) November 9, 2024

The Lakers are always looking to improve, and that could happen as soon as February. The trade deadline will be here sooner rather than later, and L.A. could be in line for a big win, which they desperately need. 

The Lakers lack on-court depth outside of their superstar Anthony Davis. Their defense is also poor, ranking 26 out of 30 in defensive rating. L.A. also ranks 24th in opponent points per game, 18th in opponent average score margin, 30th in opponent fastbreak points per game, and 27th in opponent assist per turnover. 

Los Angeles has a poor defense, but its fortunes could be turned around with another big man covering the paint and helping out Davis. 

Valanciunas and Lopez are the only centers that L.A. is interested in. The Lakers have also had their eye on Jazz center Walker Kessler. He is younger than the two aforementioned and is a better defender around the rim than both at this stage of his career. 

The Lakers will continue to monitor the trade market. Expect them to be in the running for a center and possibly more. 

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