Lakers Trades to Consider After 1st Wave of NBA Free Agency

The Los Angeles Lakers’ chances of making a splash during the 2024 NBA offseason are dwindling.

That’s not the same as being nonexistent, though.

Options might be more limited than before, but they’re still present—especially since the Lakers have yet to cash in their top trade chips. They could still cause a star on the market if they put those in play, so let’s examine three trade concepts that could intrigue this club.

The Brooklyn Nets might be on the cusp of a fire sale after turning rock-solid (but non-star) swingman Mikal Bridges into a pile of draft picks.

Even if the Nets don’t take the liquidation route, though, it would still behoove them to convert a few veterans into long-term assets.

Three-and-D forward Dorian Finney-Smith perhaps tops that list. And he just so happens to fill several areas of need for the Lakers.

They’ve struggled to field enough lineups with two-way players in recent years, but Finney-Smith has the kind of game to change that. His defensive versatility makes him effectively an all-purpose stopper, and his three-balls have found their mark at a 37.1 percent clip over the previous five campaigns.

If a sweetener like Jalen-Hood Schifino or a protected future first is enough to pry Finney-Smith loose, that feels like a no-brainer for L.A.

The Lakers have reportedly registered interest in Portland Trail Blazers swingman Jerami Grant, per Michael Scotto of HoopsHype. That makes a ton of sense, as Grant has ranked among the league’s most logical trade candidates since signing a five-year, $160 million pact last summer—the night before Damian Lillard decided he wanted out of the Pacific Northwest.

That’s a pricey pact for Grant, though, who was filled a support role on some good teams but only posted premium numbers on bad ones.

Provided that contract gets baked into Grant’s trade cost, the Lakers could be in business. So far, that hasn’t happened. Per Sean Highkin of The Rose Garden Report, the Blazers’ asking price to this point has been both of the Lakers’ tradeable first-round draft picks (2029 and 2031).

If L.A. could talk Portland down to a package built around one of those picks (with at least a little protection) and Rui Hachimura, a player that has some appeal to the Blazers, per Highkin, then there could be a deal to be made. Grant’s defensive versatility would be a boon for JJ Redick’s bunch, while a shift into more of a complementary role should help boost Grant’s efficiency.

The Lakers’ roster doesn’t resemble that of a heavyweight championship contender. One could argue the only way it would is if a legitimate difference-maker landed in L.A.

A quick scan of the current trade market posits that Utah Jazz swingman Lauri Markkanen is the best candidate for that role among reasonably available players.

It would, of course, require the Lakers to unload the entirety of their asset collection to land Markkanen. It’s hard to imagine anyone in L.A. not named LeBron James or Anthony Davis would be truly untouchable in a Markkanen trade.

If the Lakers see Markkanen as their proverbial missing piece, though, that’s a move they have to make. James might appear ageless on the court, but he’s still facing a biological clock showing 39-plus years of life and 21 seasons of NBA service.