The Lakers are exploring a trade that would send out two players for one as they work to trim their roster to the regular-season limit and address a thin frontcourt around Luka Dončić, per a heavy.com report published Monday. The preferred approach may be to make a trade that sends out two players and brings back just one while the team’s draft capital remains intact.
Los Angeles currently carries 16 players on standard contracts, one above the NBA’s 15-man limit, and must resolve the surplus before opening night. While the starting power forward job could be handled by committee, the same cannot be said for the backup center position, as the newly-signed Kevon Looney remains the only true center behind Walker Kessler.
The center search was first reported by Dan Woike of The Athletic, who identified several potential targets based on conversations with team and league sources. He named Jericho Sims, Jalen Smith, Karlo Matković, Nick Richards, and a few other veterans as potential targets, all of whom would carry a cheaper price tag than what Dallas is signaling for their players. On the leading name, Milwaukee’s Jericho Sims, NBA scouts still have concerns about Sims’ consistency and defense away from the basket, according to Woike. Even so, his ability to finish above the rim and protect the glass could give L.A. a reliable reserve if the price remains reasonable.
Any deal is complicated by both teams’ rosters. The Lakers, too, have a roster crunch, so the two teams making a deal right now doesn’t make a ton of sense. For the purple and gold, they would need to do a lot of consolidating to get to a point to trade for Sims or, potentially, work out a multi-team trade.
What This Means
A two-for-one trade would let the Lakers fix two problems with one move: it clears the extra roster spot and can bring back a rotation piece without spending down their limited draft capital. That matters because their asset base is nearly bare — the Lakers have just three second-round draft picks and one first-round swap to trade after overpaying for Walker Kessler. The center dependency is the real exposure here. The Lakers acquired Walker Kessler to anchor the position, but they remain short on proven depth. Kevon Looney appeared in only 21 games last season, while Kessler played five. Building a title-hopeful roster whose interior rests on a starter with a five-game prior season and a single aging backup is the risk they’re carrying into camp, and it’s the one a modest trade is meant to hedge.
What’s Next
The Lakers open training camp on September 29 and must set the roster at 15 by the day before their October 21 opener against Golden State, meaning a trade or waiver has to come in the next several weeks. Dalton Knecht appears to be the most likely player to lose his spot, especially if the Lakers cannot include him in a potential deal. A separate factor is whether Milwaukee’s own need to trim its roster lowers the asking price on Sims before opening night.
Source: Dan Woike of The Athletic
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