Three Trades To Transform Lakers Into Contender And Preserve Picks

Like the NBA itself, the Los Angeles Lakers are in the midst of a major changing of the guard with JJ Redick taking over the head coaching duties and superstar LeBron James approaching what could be his final seasons.

For Los Angeles Lakers fans and followers, the franchise goal as usual is championship or bust, which is why they’ve been so disappointed with Pelinka’s overly patient excuses and artfully minimized expectations. The struggles the front office has encountered have essentially paralyzed the Lakers and made them the only franchise out of 30 NBA teams that has not added a single player since the start of the current free agency period.

With the re-signing of team co-captain LeBron James to a 2-year near-max contract for $101 million, the Lakers are now safely below the tough second luxury tax apron and are now able to proceed with upgrading their roster.
The Lakers need a point-of-attack perimeter defender, a bigger legitimate 3&D wing who can shoot the three and guard the West’s big high-scoring wings, and a rim protecting backup center for when AD is on the bench.

The challenge facing the Lakers right now is each of the trade options to specifically fill those three needs will cost one or more picks and aren’t guaranteed to raise the roster to legitimate championship contender status.
The Lakers are currently evaluating whether their best move at this point in time might be to run it back with the current roster and save their draft capital until a better opportunity arises rather than going all-in right now.

The Lakers need to start thinking outside-of-the-box to find a way to still compete to win a championship while LeBron James and Anthony Davis are still playing at a high level without giving up their valuable draft capital.
The solution is to take on Zach LaVine’s bad contract in return for the Bulls’ 2027 unprotected first round pick and then trade that pick to upgrade the Lakers’ starting lineup and rotation to legitimate championship contender.

While trading for LaVine is a calculated gamble because of his contract and injury history, it’s also an opportunity to find LeBron James’ replacement and go for a championship right now while saving our picks for the future.
Unlike most of the Lakers’ other potential trade options, the Lakers would still have the security of all of their current draft capital in case trading for LaVine and another starter with the Bulls’ first round pick did not work.

Slowly but surely, we’re starting to hear rumors that the Lakers may be rethinking their options and a trade with the Bulls for Zach LaVine and a first round pick is starting to appear as a smart out-of-the-box option.
Frankly, when you consider how talented and impactful LaVine could be and whom the Lakers might also be able to get with that first round pick, a 3-team trade with the Bulls could end up being the Lakers’ best option.

With that in mind, here are three blockbuster trades that could not only transform the Los Angeles Lakers into legitimate championship contenders but also preserve their existing draft capital for better future opportunities.

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1. Trade for Zach LaVine and Brook Lopez

PG: REAVES, Dinwiddie, James Jr.
SG: LAVINE, Christie, OPEN
SF: JAMES, Knecht, Lewis
PF: DAVIS, Wood, OPEN
CE: LOPEZ, Hayes, OPEN

The trade for Zach LaVine and a Bulls’ first round pick not only gives the Lakers a third superstar who can eventually replace LeBron James but also the draft pick they needed to trade for veteran stretch center Brook Lopez.

The net result is Los Angeles trades 6 Lakers for 1 Bull and 1 Buck, creating a dynamic starting lineup of Austin Reaves, Zach LaVine, LeBron James, Anthony Davis, Brook Lopez and opening up 4 roster spots for other talent.
The beauty of trading with the Bulls is the Lakers do not have to give up either of their 2 tradable first round picks or 3 tradable first round pick swaps, allowing them to keep their draft capital to use in the future.

The pros of the LaVine/Lopez trade include getting a third star to replace LeBron, building a championship caliber starting lineup, and improving the Lakers overall size, rebounding, rim protection, and 3-point shooting.
With Brook Lopez starting at center, the Lakers will have the big body they need to deal with big low gravity centers like Jokic, Sabonis, and Embiid and Anthony Davis can move to his preferred power forward position.

The cons are LeBron James has to play and defend the three, the Lakers gave up 6 players, including two starters, so bench depth and diversity will be heavily dependent on inexperienced and minimum salary players.
Nevertheless, the Lakers should be able to use their TX MLE to re-sign Spencer Dinwiddie as backup point guard to pair with Max Christie as backup shooting guard and Dalton Knecht as the backup small forward.

Bottom line, trading for shooting guard Zach LaVine and center Brook Lopez offers the Lakers the most of the 3 proposed blockbuster Bulls trades and should be the top priority on their offseason trade big board.

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2. Trade for Zach LaVine and Cameron Johnson

PG: REAVES, Dinwiddie, James Jr.
SG: LAVINE, Christie, OPEN
SF: JAMES, Knecht, Lewis
PF: JOHNSON, Wood, OPEN
CE: DAVIS, Hayes, OPEN

The trade for Zach LaVine and a Bulls’ first round pick gives the Lakers a third superstar who can replace LeBron James as well as a first round draft pick to use to trade for talented young 3&D wing Cameron Johnson.

The net result is Los Angeles trades 6 Lakers for 1 Bull and 1 Net, creating a dynamic starting lineup of Austin Reaves, Zach LaVine, Cam Johnson, LeBron James, and Anthony Davis and opening up 4 needed roster spots.
The beauty of trading with the Bulls is the Lakers do not have to give up either of their 2 tradable first round picks or 3 tradable first round pick swaps, allowing them to keep their draft capital to use in the future.

The pros of the LaVine/Johnson trade include getting a third star to replace LeBron, building a championship caliber starting lineup, and improving the Lakers overall size, rebounding, wing defense, and 3-point shooting.
With Johnson starting at small forward, the Lakers will have the bigger wing they need to defend the bigger high scoring wings in the West like Durant, Leonard, and DeRozan and James won’t have to play the three.

The cons are the Lakers gave up 6 players, including two starters, so bench depth and diversity will be heavily dependent on inexperienced and minimum salary players. Also, Anthony Davis will have to play the five.
Nevertheless, the Lakers should be able to use their TX MLE to re-sign Spencer Dinwiddie as backup point guard to pair with Max Christie as backup shooting guard and Dalton Knecht as the backup small forward.

Bottom line, trading for shooting guard Zach LaVine and forward Cam Johnson offers the Lakers a chance to find a superstar to replace LeBon, win another championship, and preserve draft capital for the future.

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3. Trade for Zach LaVine and Kelly Olynyk

PG: REAVES, Dinwiddie, Vincent,
SG: LAVINE, Christie, James Jr
SF: JAMES, Knecht, Lewis
PF: DAVIS, Wood, OPEN
CE: OLYNYK, Hayes, OPEN

The trade for Zach LaVine and a Bulls’ first round pick not only gives the Lakers a third superstar who can eventually replace LeBron James but also the draft pick they needed to trade for dynamic stretch center Kelly Olynyk.

The net result is Los Angeles trades 5 Lakers for 1 Bull and 1 Raptor, creating a dynamic starting lineup of Austin Reaves, Zach LaVine, LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and Kelly Olynyk, and opening up 3 roster spots.
The beauty of trading with the Bulls is the Lakers do not have to give up either of their 2 tradable first round picks or 3 tradable first round pick swaps, allowing them to keep their draft capital to use in the future.

The pros of the LaVine/Olynyk trade include getting a third star to replace LeBron, building a championship caliber starting lineup, and improving the Lakers overall size, rebounding, playmaking, and 3-point shooting.
With Kelly Olynyk starting at center, Anthony Davis will be free to be the team’s hub on offense and free safety roamer on defense. Olynyk is both a great 3-point shooter as well as elite playmaker who will be a great fit.

The cons are LeBron James has to play and defend the three, the Lakers gave up 5 players, including 2 starters, so bench depth and diversity will be heavily dependent on inexperienced and minimum salary players.
Nevertheless, the Lakers should be able to use their TX MLE to re-sign Spencer Dinwiddie as backup point guard to pair with Max Christie as backup shooting guard and Dalton Knecht as the backup small forward.

Bottom line, trading for shooting guard Zach LaVine and center Kelly Olynyk could transform the Lakers’ offense into a virtual juggernaut that plays fast, dominates the paint and free throw line while raining threes.