The Los Angeles Lakers need help with their perimeter and rim defense, but their avenues to make roster upgrades by the Feb. 5 trade deadline are limited.
Their only tradeable first-round pick (2031 or 2032) isn’t valued highly around the league, per The Athletic’s Dan Woike, and the expiring contracts they can offer — Rui Hachmirua, Gabe Vincent and Maxi Kleber — haven’t piqued much interest, either.
Still, the Rob Pelinka-led front office can make moves around the edges to help the offensively-skewed trio of Luka Doncic, LeBron James and Austin Reaves.
The heavily-rumored Lakers trade targets:
Herbert Jones (Pelicans)
Reported asking price: Two unprotected first-round picks (ClutchPoints’ Brett Siegel)
The Lakers technically can’t match that price, but they could always revisit a deal for Jones over the summer, when they’d be armed with three first-rounders. While Jones is signed through 2029-30 — possibly disrupting the Lakers’ plans to preserve cap space for 2026 and 2027 — he’s on a cap-friendly deal for a player of his All-Defensive caliber.
Per insider Marc Stein, the Lakers would take on long-term salary only for a “real needle-mover.” Some would argue airdropping Jones’ defense to the Lakers’ explosive offense could move the needle, even though he’s not a marquee name.
Verdict: Highly unlikely. Per multiple insiders, the Pelicans are expected to hold onto both Herb Jones and Trey Murphy III, their two highly coveted 3&D wings.
Andrew Wiggins (Heat)
Reported asking price: One first-round pick and two rotational players who can contribute to the Heat’s playoff pursuit (ClutchPoints’ Brett Siegel).
The Lakers pursued the 2022 NBA Champion last summer, but refused to meet the Heat’s asking price of Rui Hachimura, a first-round pick, Gabe Vincent and Dalton Knecht, per Lakers beat writer Anthony Irwin. The Lakers reportedly did not want to give up a first-rounder, a stance that could have changed since the start of the season.
Per HoopsHype’s Michael Scotto, the Heat recently gauged trade interest in Wiggins, who has a $30.17M player option for 2026-27.
Verdict: Why Not? Wiggins’ contract does not disrupt the Lakers’ long-term plans, and he’s a proven winner and excellent perimeter defender. He’s also shooting a career-best 39.6% from three and is a perfect plug-and-play piece. However, one NBA exec told LakersDaily’s Ashish Mathur that Heat boss Pat Riley isn’t keen to help the Lakers.
Keon Ellis (Kings)
Reported asking price: One protected first-round pick (The Athletic’s Dan Woike).
The Lakers reportedly reached out to the Kings recently, per Forbes’ Evan Sidery, to express interest in Ellis, a career 41.6% shooter from three. While he has struggled to find a consistent role under Doug Christie, some scouts believe Ellis could thrive on a winning team with his 6-foot-9 wingspan and ability to guard up to three positions.
One NBA GM told Heavy Sports’ Sean Deveney that multiple teams covet Ellis due to his cheap expiring deal ($2.3M) and untapped potential.
“At least half the league has asked about him,” the exec said about the Kings guard. “The Lakers tend to get talked about more, but everyone loves him.”
Verdict: Lakers could get outbid. Per Sidery, the Lakers are willing to part with Dalton Knecht but hesitant to give up their only first-rounder. Perhaps a more motivated bidder could land Ellis, who has an 83% trade probability rate, per Polymarket.
Daniel Gafford (Mavericks)
Reported asking price: Unknown. Estimated to be one first-round pick with light protections, a young rotational player and filler to meet $14.4M salary.
Per ESPN’s Shams Charania, the Mavs are shopping Gafford ahead of the deadline. Subsequent reports have linked him to the Lakers, Golden State Warriors, Indiana Pacers and Toronto Raptors. Per insider Marc Stein, Gafford is set to generate the “most robust trade market” among any Mavs player, even more so than Anthony Davis.
Deandre Ayton has been adequate in his role, but he still leaves a lot to be desired as a rim protector for the Lakers, who rank 16th in opponent paint points allowed (50.8) and a concerning 28th in pick-and-roll opponent field goal percentage (.584). Gafford, while not offensively gifted like Ayton, would be a huge upgrade for this Lakers team.
Verdict: A winning move for the Lakers. Luka Doncic will be reunited with his starting center from the Mavericks‘ glorious 2024 NBA Finals run, and Gafford’s cap-friendly contract could be a useful trade chip for the future.
Other names listed as potential Lakers trade targets by scouts/insiders: Derrick Jones Jr. (Clippers), Ayo Dosunmu (Bulls), Josh Green (Hornets), Terrance Mann (Nets).
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