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Imagining Every NBA Team’s Top 3 Trade Targets

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Los Angeles Lakers

Kyrie Irving, PG, Dallas Mavericks

LeBron James has heaped nothing but praise on his former teammate over the past few years. If there was any sort of indication that Irving was unhappy in Dallas, the Lakers should check on his asking price, especially since Irving can become an unrestricted free agent in 2025.

Irving, James and Anthony Davis would be an incredible Big 3 and provide closure on what was an unhappy ending for the former Cleveland Cavaliers teammates.

LaMelo Ball, PG, Charlotte Hornets

If the Hornets appear headed for another lost season and really want to dive into the Cooper Flagg sweepstakes, trading Ball would certainly increase their tanking efforts.

Showtime would officially be back in Los Angeles with Ball, the most entertaining passer in the NBA today. He’s also a talented scorer (23.9 points per game last season) who would take a ton of offensive pressure off of James.

Darius Garland, PG, Cleveland Cavaliers

Garland, like James and Davis, is a Klutch client who would bring some stability to the point guard position with the Lakers.

The 24-year-old is a terrific passer who would also benefit off open three-point looks when James operates with the ball.

Lakers already scheming for how to acquire Luka Doncic

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Every offseason, NBA fans have to listen to rumors about how the Los Angeles Lakers will get the top free agents or make the big trades needed to win their next NBA championship. It doesn’t matter how unlikely or how improbable, the allure of the Lakers is too strong to be ignored.

The Lakers are hoping to return to contention with LeBron James, Anthony Davis and rookie head coach JJ Redick. But they are also preparing for life without James, who is going to retire within the next few years. Some players can take the mantle of the next face of the Lakers, per Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer, but the team feels confident in their ability to convince Dallas Mavericks point guard Luka Doncic to be the franchise’s future.

“I’ve reported on this podcast and on The Ringer how they have their sights set for Luka [Dončić] in the future. We’ll see if that works out. Dallas just made a Finals, Dallas is looking better than ever with their supporting cast. That may not work out, but the Lakers by not trading their future picks clearly are still thinking long-term at this point. They’re not going all in like you might expect many teams to do with James.”

Lakers already scheming for how to acquire Luka Doncic
Doncic is easily one of the top players in the league just in his first six seasons. He won the NBA Rookie of the Year in 2019, was named a first-team All-NBA selection and is the reigning scoring champion by averaging 33.9 points per game. Doncic is easily one of the most explosive and efficient scorers in the leagues and continues to find ways to make himself and his team better.

In terms of being the future of the NBA, Doncic is more than capable of assuming the mantle. He could add much more to his legacy if he were to join the Lakers with more exposure, being given the celebrity treatment and given a bigger stage to international players.

Lakers address single biggest flaw with hiring of Dr. Leroy Sims

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The Los Angeles Lakers are toeing the line between inactivity and significant improvement. The roster is generally the same, sans the addition of rookies Dalton Knecht and Bronny James, but the organization has taken steps to improve its infrastructure.

The latest decision on that front could go a long way toward improving the weakest area of organizational consistency and success.

Los Angeles replaced former head coach Darvin Ham with JJ Redick just before the 2024 NBA Draft. It’s since executed a complete overhaul of its coaching staff and strategic approach to team-building, prioritizing player development along the way.

The Lakers have continued that shift in priorities by hiring Dr. Leroy Sims as the new Director of Player Performance and Health.

This might seem like a decision that can be glossed over in the short-term, but it speaks to the organization’s awareness of its most glaring flaw.

Lakers hope to address glaring injury concerns

The Lakers’ general health and availability have been misinterpreted following the 2023-24 season. All of Anthony Davis, Rui Hachimura, LeBron James, Austin Reaves, and D’Angelo Russell appeared in at least 68 games last season, thus resulting in the belief that injuries weren’t an issue.

The entire second unit was ravaged by injuries, however, thus resulting in Los Angeles’ bench ranking among the worst in the NBA.

Gabe Vincent was the Lakers’ marquee signing last offseason, but appeared in just 11 games during the regular season due to injury. Jarred Vanderbilt, who signed a four-year, $48 million contract extension, was active in just 29 outings.

Christian Wood, meanwhile, missed 32 games and Cam Reddish was absent for 34—thus making it almost impossible for the second unit to find its footing.

The end result was Los Angeles ranking 27th in the NBA in offensive rating. It was a shining example of what prevented the starting lineup’s impact from being sustained during games against the top contenders in the Association.

By hiring Sims, the Lakers have made a clear commitment to resolving the injury issues and potentially creating a sustainable resolution to their primary flaw.

The ideal outcome would be the Lakers remaining healthy enough to create a steady pace through the regular season. It’s something the team has been generally unable to do throughout the Davis and James era, thus resulting in lower seedings come the postseason.

If the hiring has the expected impact, then the Lakers could finally secure the elusive top-four seed that would simplify the process of making another deep postseason run.