Report: Desire within Lakers locker room for trade is ‘real’

Jesse Cinquini
3 Min Read
Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

The Los Angeles Lakers have already completed one notable trade this season. In December, Los Angeles dealt D’Angelo Russell, Maxwell Lewis and three second-round picks to the Brooklyn Nets and received Dorian Finney-Smith and Shake Milton in return.

Finney-Smith was probably the crown jewel of the trade from Los Angeles’ perspective, and he’s provided the Lakers with solid two-way play. In 12 games with L.A., he’s averaging 6.2 points per contest on 37.2 percent shooting from 3-point range coupled with 3.1 rebounds per game.

Still, Dan Woike of the Los Angeles Times has reported that there is a “real” desire within the locker room for the Lakers to make another trade before the deadline on Feb. 6.

“The desire inside the locker room for the Lakers to do something is real,” Woike wrote. “The Finney-Smith addition, scouts and executives believe, has improved the floor for the Lakers by addressing toughness, defensive and spot-up shooting issues. But holes on the roster remain.

“Lakers players are realistic about the number of needs, the lack of options and the expensive costs. Still, they know for the team to level up, front office creativity in a tight market will be crucial during the next week.”

With more than half of the Lakers’ 2024-25 regular season in the books, 3-point shooting stands out as a weakness for the team. Los Angeles has converted only 11.8 3s per contest to this point, a mark that ranks near the bottom of the league. Only the Toronto Raptors and Orlando Magic are burying fewer 3s on a game-to-game basis.

Additionally, no player on the roster is averaging more than 2.5 made 3-point shots per game. Austin Reaves is leading the way for the Lakers in that regard and is shooting 36.1 percent from 3-point range in his fourth NBA season.

One player that the Lakers could theoretically acquire to plug that hole on their roster without having to break the bank is Boston Celtics forward Sam Hauser. Hauser has one of the better-looking jumpers in the NBA and is shooting 38.6 percent from 3-point range on 5.3 attempts per contest with Boston this season. He’s also a career 41.5 percent 3-point shooter.

But so far, there haven’t been any rumors linking the Lakers to the 27-year-old. L.A. also has other needs beyond 3-point shooting. For example, it’s no secret that there’s a desire for the team to add a big. The Lakers could also use some additional playmaking following the Russell trade.

The clock is ticking. If L.A. wants to make another splash before the deadline, it’s going to have to get busy.

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Jesse is a sports journalist with extensive experience covering the NBA. He has worked as a staff writer covering the Lakers’ dreaded rivals, the Boston Celtics, for SB Nation. He has also covered the New York Knicks for The Knicks Wall.