Lakers trade season primer: What I’m hearing about LA’s plans

Lakers trade season primer: What I’m hearing about Los Angeles’ plans https://t.co/HD1SGPg8lP

— LakerTom (@LakerTom) December 17, 2024

Let’s dive into some questions and topics that will dominate discussions ahead of the deadline.

Are the Lakers likely to make a move?

Yes. At least that’s the operating assumption around the league. However, the magnitude of the move is unclear given the uncertainty of how much draft capital the Lakers are willing to use in a trade, according to team and league sources.

As has become the recent league-wide trend, there project to be more buyers than sellers on the trade market. That can drive up the prices from sellers for quality starters and high-level role players, as it did last trade deadline. With that said, the Warriors giving up three second-round picks for Schröder, who is having a career year statistically, could signify a shift toward that caliber of player going for multiple second-round picks rather than a first-round pick, according to league sources.

Who are realistic trade targets?

Similar to last season, the Lakers believe they have three positional needs at the trade deadline:

A tough, physical, defensive-minded center.

A big 3-and-D wing who complements Davis and James as a starter/closer.

A big, quick, athletic guard with point-of-attack defensive capabilities.

And similar to last season, it’s going to be difficult to address all three needs with one move — and without giving up both their 2029 and 2031 first-round picks.

As The Athletic has previously reported, a Lakers move is more likely later in January or early in February leading into the deadline, allowing Los Angeles more time to evaluate the roster and see if injured players like Jarred Vanderbilt and Christian Wood can plug some of the holes within the rotation. But it appears that, if the Lakers make a move on the sooner end, trading for Valančiūnas, Johnson and/or Finney-Smith would be the most realistic exceptions.

Which Lakers players are eligible to be traded?

The entire 15-man roster is eligible to be traded this season.

Max Christie will become eligible to be traded on Jan. 15. Otherwise, the other 13 players can be traded immediately.

Are any players untouchable?

Two players who almost certainly won’t be traded, barring them asking out of Los Angeles, are Davis ($43.2 million) and James ($48.7 million).

Despite the recent groundswell from certain media and fans to blow up the roster, the Lakers are not currently considering trading either superstar, according to team and league sources. They want to bolster their supporting cast and continue building around Davis and James.

The Lakers continue to have a high bar for trading Reaves ($13 million) considering his importance as the third option and his team-friendly contract (he’s making less than $27 million combined over the next two seasons before likely opting out in 2026). Similarly, rookie Dalton Knecht ($3.8 million) and Max Christie ($7.1 million) are two players the Lakers view as longer-term core pieces.

Which players are likely to be traded?

The Lakers have four medium-sized contracts — D’Angelo Russell ($18.7 million), Rui Hachimura ($17.0 million), Gabe Vincent ($11 million) and Vanderbilt ($10.7 million) — that will be the foundation of any trade requiring double-digit outgoing salary.

Redick and Pelinka have both spoken highly of Hachimura, often implying they view him as a longer-term piece and that he’d be the least likely of that group to be moved.

There is also a chance the Lakers use a smaller contract, like Wood ($3 million), Cam Reddish ($2.5 million) or Maxwell Lewis ($1.9 million) as a matching salary in a deal or to clear a roster spot.

What will teams want from the Lakers?

The same things they wanted last season: Reaves and first-round picks.

The Lakers have three first-round picks they can trade individually: 2029, 2030 or 2031. If they want to use more than one first-round pick, they can trade the 2029 and 2031 first-round picks (and not the 2030 first).

They also have years of swap rights (2026, 2028 and 2030, depending on how they use the 2029 and 2031 first-round picks) and five second-round picks to trade (2025, 2027, 2030, 2031 and the LA Clippers’ 2025 second-round pick). The Lakers will likely offer a pick swap or second(s) in place of one of their picks in negotiations.

Rival teams will surely ask for Knecht and Christie, but again, those are two players the Lakers will prioritize keeping. Teams will also likely sniff around on James and Davis, seeing if they can try to pry them away from Los Angeles with an enticing offer of picks and young talent.

What are the Lakers’ financial and roster constraints?

The Lakers have a full roster with 15 players with guaranteed contracts, meaning they can’t take back more players than they send out in a trade. If they make a multi-player deal and temporarily dip below 14 players, they’d have two weeks to return to the league’s 14-player minimum.

Los Angeles also can’t take back more salary than it sends out, which is a limiting factor in any potential deal. Depending on the estimation, the Lakers are between $30,000 to $45,000 under the collective bargaining agreement’s second apron, giving them little wiggle room financially. They will not go above the second apron.