The Los Angeles Lakers’ latest pursuit of star guard Kyrie Irving lasted only about 48 hours, as he was traded on Sunday from the Brooklyn Nets to the Dallas Mavericks.
But according to Lakers reporter Mark Medina, the team is still hopeful it can swing a trade before Thursday’s trade deadline in order to upgrade its roster, despite the constraints it has to work with.
Despite missing out on Kyrie Irving, Lakers still optimistic they can upgrade roster before trade deadline. The three challenges. Is another star available? The Lakers don’t have many assets. Despite willing to trade picks or young players, they haven’t been willing to do both
— Mark Medina (@MarkG_Medina) February 6, 2023
Los Angeles’ main trade assets are the expiring contracts of Russell Westbrook and Patrick Beverley, as well as its 2027 and 2029 first-round draft picks. It has been reportedly unwilling to trade those draft picks unless they would yield a big-time player or package in return, although it reportedly offered both of them for Irving.
Sources: Brooklyn Nets received Los Angeles Lakers’ proposal that did include team’s two first-round picks (2027, 2029) and Phoenix Suns’ offer of Chris Paul, Jae Crowder and unspecified picks: @NBATV pic.twitter.com/cJuABbaYGy
— Chris Haynes (@ChrisBHaynes) February 6, 2023
In addition, Sam Amick reported that the Lakers may have been willing to offer Austin Reaves and Max Christie, two of their most promising young players, for Irving.
It seems unlikely that they would be willing to give up that many assets for anyone else, especially considering there doesn’t appear to be a comparable player who could be had in the next few days.
Still, the Lakers have been linked to several interesting players.
One of them has been Detroit Pistons sharpshooting Bojan Bogdanovic. Detroit has reportedly been asking L.A. for an unprotected first-round pick in return for Bogdanovic, but executive Rob Pelinka has preferred to put some protection on that pick in a potential deal.
More recently, a report indicated the Purple and Gold could be interested in the Atlanta Hawks’ Bogdan Bogdanovic, a 6-foot-5 wing who is a decent 3-point shooter.
Indeed, 3-point shooting is currently the Lakers’ biggest weakness, and they could also use some help defensively and on the boards. However, they may prefer an upgrade at the guard or wing position rather than a true center who can protect the rim and control the defensive boards.
After giving up 131 points in a loss to the New Orleans Pelicans on Saturday, they will return home after finishing a disappointing 2-3 on a five-game road trip.
