Pelicans Scoop

New Update on Possible Lakers Trade for Ex-Pelicans Starter

The Los Angeles Lakers could reportedly trade for a few different NBA players.

Joey Linn

Dec 7, 2023; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; New Orleans Pelicans center Jonas Valanciunas (17) and Los Angeles Lakers forward Anthony Davis (3) go for the opening tip of the NBA In Season Tournament Semifinal at T-Mobile Arena.
Dec 7, 2023; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; New Orleans Pelicans center Jonas Valanciunas (17) and Los Angeles Lakers forward Anthony Davis (3) go for the opening tip of the NBA In Season Tournament Semifinal at T-Mobile Arena. / Kyle Terada-Imagn Images
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The Los Angeles Lakers have been involved in several different NBA trade rumors already this season. Wanting to build a contender around LeBron James and Anthony Davis, the 14-12 Lakers have work to do before the trade deadline.

Numerous players have been linked to the Lakers in NBA trade rumors, but only a few make sense. Wanting to bring in win-now pieces, Los Angeles can only do so within the restrictions of the league’s new CBA. This is one reason why only a few players were named as reasonable targets if the Lakers were to strike a deal relatively soon.

LeBron James and Jonas Valanciunas
Dec 7, 2023; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) shoots the ball against New Orleans Pelicans center Jonas Valanciunas (17) during the third quarter in the NBA In Season Tournament Semifinal at T-Mobile Arena. / Kyle Terada-Imagn Images

Per Jovan Buha of The Athletic, the Lakers are likelier to make a deal closer to the trade deadline if something happens. That said, former New Orleans Pelicans center Jonas Valanciunas is a realistic option should Los Angeles make a move sooner.

Via Buha: “As The Athletic has previously reported, a Lakers move is more likely later in January or early in February leading into the deadline, allowing Los Angeles more time to evaluate the roster and see if injured players like Jarred Vanderbilt and Christian Wood can plug some of the holes within the rotation. But it appears that, if the Lakers make a move on the sooner end, trading for Valančiūnas, Johnson and/or Finney-Smith would be the most realistic exceptions.”

Valanciunas has been linked to the Lakers since the offseason when Buha also reported that James had the Washington Wizards center on his list of trade targets. Could the 6-foot-11 center eventually end up in Los Angeles?

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Joey Linn
JOEY LINN

Joey Linn is a credentialed writer covering the NBA for Sports Illustrated's FanNation. Covering the LA Clippers independently in 2018, then for Fansided and 213Hoops from 2019-2021, Joey joined Sports Illustrated's FanNation to cover the Clippers after the 2020-21 season. Graduating from Biola University in 2022 with a Communication Studies degree, Joey served as Biola's play-by-play announcer for their basketball, baseball, softball, and soccer teams during his time in school. Joey's work on Biola's broadcasts, combined with his excellence in the classroom, earned him the Outstanding Communication Studies Student of the year award in 2022. Joey covers the NBA full-time across multiple platforms, primarily serving as a credentialed Clippers beat writer.

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