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The Los Angeles Lakers didn’t wait for the NBA trade deadline to come close to start upgrading their roster. They already landed forward Rui Hachimura from the Washington Wizards, but we all know they will need a couple of more pieces to get to the Playoffs. The team’s general manager Rob Pelinka is definitely busy looking at the Lakers trade deadline targets in 2023 and we are here to give our thoughts on that.
Lakers trade deadline targets 2023
The NBA trade deadline is set for February 9 and the Lakers trade options are among the hottest topics in the league right now.
In the following lines, we will give our Lakers trade ideas that will definitely shake up the roster and help LeBron James take this team to the Playoffs. So, let’s see the Lakers trade options going into the final week before the NBA trade deadline.
Bulls
Just like the Lakers, the Chicago Bulls are a team that has underachieved so far in the season. There are many reasons for that, from Lonzo Ball being out all season long to some personal issues within the team. Just a few weeks ago, reports came out that there are several players on the team who are not getting along with Zach LaVine.
The high-flying shooting guard has been put on the trading block and is on top of the list of the Lakers trade deadline targets in 2023. LaVine would be a great fit for the Lakers as he can score both from inside and outside and he is also pushing hard to get to LA where he played college basketball at UCLA.
The only problem for the Lakers is that they will need to send Anthony Davis to the Bulls in return. Yes, this sounds a little crazy, but the fact is that Davis missed 42 games last season plus the Playoffs and 23 so far this season and the Lakers cannot really rely on him. Knowing that Davis is from Chicago makes this trade more likely to happen than you think.
Spurs
The possible trade scenario with the San Antonio Spurs doesn’t involve any star players coming to LA but will most likely make a Playoff team of the Lakers. The Lakers would have to send Russell Westbrook to the Spurs and get Josh Richardson, Doug McDermott and Jakob Poeltl in return.
Richardson is in his eighth season in the league and has valuable experience playing for five teams. He is a good two-guard who can be useful on both ends of the floor. McDermott is one of the best spot-up shooters in the league, shooting 41% from the three-point line in his career. Poeltl is a solid center averaging 12 points and 9 rebounds this season and he will have good minutes in LA.
When it comes to the Spurs, they are in a rebuilding process, trying to get a high draft pick and will have huge salary cap space once Westbrook’s contract expires this summer.
Pistons
Bojan Bogdanovic is one of the best players available at the deadline. He is the best scorer on the Detroit Pistons this season, averaging 21.2 points per game on 41.2% shooting from deep. The Lakers desperately need a three-point shooter on their roster since they are ranked 26th in the league in this category.
The Croatian recently signed a contract extension with the Pistons and the Lakers will need to give up Patrick Beverley and Lonnie Walker IV to get Bogdanovic. This trade makes sense since Dennis Schroder is playing well at the point guard position and the Lakers brought in Hachimura who will take Walker’s place anyway.
Timberwolves
D’Angelo Russell trade rumors are getting a lot of hype and the Timberwolves’ point guard may be returning to the team where he started his NBA career. The Lakers selected him with the second pick of the 2015 NBA Draft but traded him during his second season. Since then, Russell moved through Brooklyn and Golden State to find himself in Minnesota.
This season, he started in all games for the Wolves averaging 17.8 points and 6.2 assists while shooting 39% from deep. Russell seems ready to take over the Lakers starting point guard spot and be a dangerous weapon in their offense. In order to get him, the Lakers would need to say goodbye to Russell Westbrook who has been on his way to the exit door for quite some time.
Other than Russell, the Lakers would get Kyle Anderson in the deal. Anderson is a versatile 6-9 forward who can do everything on the court. He is a little slow for today’s game but he is a great passer and shoots 44.8% from the three-point line this season.
Pacers
The possible trade scenario with the Indiana Pacers has been brought up last season as well and maybe this is the right time for the deal to actually happen. Again, Westbrook is the player that will need to go, and in return, the Pacers will send Buddy Hield and Myles Turner to Los Angeles. This would be an excellent deal for the Lakers as they will get two players who can be added to the starting lineup right away.
Buddy Hield is a great shooter who can both create for himself and be a spot-up shooter. He shoots 42.7% from deep this season and that percentage would go up if he shares the court with James and Davis.
Turner, who led the league in blocks twice, would take care of the paint and would allow Davis to play at the power forward position.
