3 Trades to Transform the Lakers Into Legitimate Championship Contenders

The Lakers have not only learned how to win without one of their two superstars but also how to steal games when both of their superstars are not in the lineup as they did last night in their upset of the Miami Heat.

Now 17–21 and riding a 3-game winning streak, the Los Angeles Lakers are 12th in the West only 1.0 game out of 10th seed and the Play-In Tournament and just 3.5 games out of 5th seed and a guaranteed spot in the playoffs.
With the West wide open, the Lakers have a golden opportunity to go all-in and make critical trades to give a dominant LeBron James and MVP level Anthony Davis the opportunity to lead the Los Angeles to their 18th title.

Here are three straightforward trades the Lakers should pursue to acquire a 3&D wing to start at small forward, a point guard who can shoot and take care of the ball, and depth in the form of three high quality bench players.

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1. Detroit Pistons Beverley/Nunn Trade

The Lakers give up their 2027 first round pick unprotected to get a pair of legitimate 3&D wings to start and backup the small forward position. Both Bogdanovic and Bey are big physical players who can shoot and defend.

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2. Utah Jazz Russell Westbrook Trade

The Lakers give up 2029 pick unprotected for a trio of players from the Utah Jazz. Conley gives Lakers starting point guard who can shoot and take care of the ball while Clarkson and Olynyk add shooting off the bench.

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3. New York Knicks Lonnie Walker Trade

The Lakers give up Lonnie Walker IV, whom they would not be able to re-sign next summer, and a second round pick for Cam Reddish. Trade makes sure Lakers don’t lose Walker for nothing like they did Monk last year.

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4. Lakers Depth Chart After Three Trades

With LeBron James still dominating and Anthony Davis playing like MVP and DPOY, the Lakers starting lineup and primary reserves could be among the best in the league. This is a championship roster from top to bottom.

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5. Lakers Salary Cap This Summer

While the Lakers used their 2027 and 2029 first round picks, they transformed their roster into a contender and positioned themselves with over $70 million in tradeable contracts other than James and Davis.

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6. Lakers Must Act When Opportunity Knocks

The Lakers are fortunate to still be this close with both James and Davis missing time due to injuries but they must act now while the opportunity is there to make the trades to transform them into legitimate contenders.