Lakers Need Wendell Carter Jr. Trade After Disappointing Offseason Amid NBA Rumors

LeBron James signed a two-year, $101.355 million deal, taking $3 million less from the Los Angeles Lakers than he could have signed for in a concentrated effort by the player and organization to keep the team under the second apron of the NBA salary cap.

The deal would allow the team to retool the roster and make a significant free-agency signing or trade to return the Lakers to legitimate Western Conference contention. The team, though, has been oddly quiet this off-season and the proverbial well has all but dried up.

Or so it may seem.

Sean Deveney of Heavy.com reported that Magic center Wendell Carter Jr. remains a potential trade candidate for the team.

He wrote, “And one executive said he’s still the kind of player the Lakers should be looking for. ‘Fairly young, probably a little undervalued because of his red flags (injuries) and still tapping into his skillset,’ the exec told Heavy Sports. ‘The contract is right, it makes sense for them. That’s a guy they’re monitoring, but a lot of teams are.'”

Amid an offseason that did not net the team a legitimate third star to go alongside James and Anthony Davis, the Lakers need the Carter Jr. trade to erase some of the disappointment.

Carter is young (25) and is coming off one of the most productive seasons of his career in terms of shooting, knocking down 52.5 percent of his shots from the field for the third consecutive season. He was better than ever from beyond the arc, hitting 37.4 percent of his three-point attempts.

He averaged 11 points, 6.9 rebounds, 1.7 assists, and 0.6 steals.

He could stand to develop his shot a bit more, something the Lakers and their new coaching staff under JJ Redick could help with, and his injury history is concerning. Carter dealt with three knee injuries, a bad hand, and a bum back in 2024.

He has played in just over 52 games per season over his career.

Despite the issues surrounding his health, Carter is someone in the five position who can stretch the floor and give the Lakers an outside perimeter shooting option.

That he has seven seasons of experience but is still relatively young makes him that much more intriguing to the team, as does his contract.

The former Duke Blue Devil is entering the third year of a four-year deal that will pay him $11.9 million this year, a team-friendly number.

That contract, coupled with his potential, what he does well and how that meshes with what the Lakers would like to do on the court, makes Carter a worthwhile trade candidate for the team and one that it must explore amid an offseason that has been anything but what the most prominent organization in the league had hoped for.