Report: Lakers have competition for Keon Ellis as 15+ teams have inquired

The Los Angeles Lakers reportedly are one of many teams that have checked in on Sacramento Kings guard Keon Ellis as a potential trade target this season.

“At least half the league has asked about him,” one NBA GM said, per Heavy.com. “The Lakers tend to get talked about more, but everyone loves him.”

According to Heavy.com’s Sean Deveney, Ellis is one of the Lakers’ top trade targets this season.

“Yet, the Lakers have him near the top of their trade wish-list this winter,” Deveney wrote. “As do others. And the Kings are hoping that market translates into one of Ellis’s suitors coughing up a first-round pick.”

Ellis, 25, is in his fourth season in the NBA and will be an unrestricted free agent following the 2025-26 season. So, the Lakers may not want to part ways with any major assets in case Ellis ends up testing the open market in the offseason.

However, Deveney reports that the Lakers would look to re-sign the young guard if they were able to land him in a deal.

“Ellis is a free agent after this season, which is often a detriment in a trade,” Deveney wrote. “But because his salary is so small and because his Bird rights would come in a deal, a team can trade for him and plan to re-sign him next summer without eating into their cap space. That’s the goal for the Lakers.”

This season, Ellis has taken a bit of a step back from his 2024-25 season in which he shot 43.3 percent from deep and played the most minutes per game (24.4) of his NBA career. He’s played in 27 games for the Kings in the 2025-26 season, making two starts, but the young guard is only playing 17.0 minutes per game.

Ellis is averaging 5.1 points, 1.4 rebounds and 0.7 assists per game while shooting just 38.5 percent from the field and 35.2 percent from 3 this season.

The Lakers aren’t the only team interested in Ellis, as several other playoff contenders may be looking to land the Kings guard.

“Beyond the Lakers, teams like the [New York] Knicks, [Orlando] Magic, [Miami] Heat and [Portland] Trail Blazers have interest in Ellis,” Deveney wrote. “Others are, and will be, involved, and that’s where the price of second-round picks could be pushed to a first-rounder.”

Still, the aforementioned NBA general manager doesn’t believe that a team will pay a first-round pick in order to bring Ellis into the fold.

“It is hard to imagine giving up a first-rounder for him and I don’t think that’s where it will land,” the GM said. “But they’re right to keep asking for it and maybe someone bites at the end.”

The Lakers are off to a strong start in the 2025-26 NBA season, sitting in the No. 4 spot in the Western Conference with a 19-8 record. However, adding a young player like Ellis, a pesky defender, to grow alongside franchise cornerstone Luka Doncic could be a solid move for the Lakers this season and into the future.

It’ll be interesting to see what the full market is for the 25-year-old as the trade deadline approaches.