The season doesn’t look as doom and gloom as it did for the LA Lakers just a few weeks ago. LA is 6-2 in its last eight games, with Anthony Davis carrying the team while LeBron waits to return from a minor injury. Their front office has not been shy about hiding that the Lakers are in the market for a big trade in the near future.
LeBron and the Lakers hit the 20-game mark on Wednesday this week and no major trades have occurred yet. There will be plenty of speculation and too many reports to follow on what the Lakers are going to do. Fans are beginning to worry and worry about what the future of this season will look like. According to a league source, the Lakers are awaiting the Dec. 15 deadline to trade players who signed free agent contracts last offseason.
NBA betting sites have the Lakers at (+6000) to win the Finals this season.
The Lakers are weighing three different avenues for a potential trade @jovanbuha
“Path 1 is to trade Russell Westbrook…Path 2 is to trade Patrick Beverley, Kendrick Nunn and a combination of picks…Path 3 would be two separate deals.” pic.twitter.com/Sz2qxT4PdP
— NBACentral (@TheNBACentral) December 1, 2022
The Lakers explore three different trade scenarios
Here are some potential trades that could happen when it comes time to make a trade to improve their roster.
- 1. Trade Russell Westbrook for one or both first-round picks (2027 and 2029) for an All-Star or multiple role players
- 2. Trade Patrick Beverley, Kendrick Nunn, and pick up shooting-enhancing role players.
- 3. Involves multiple trades by trading Nunn, Westbrook, or Beverley separately.
According to The Athletic’s John Buva, the Lakers may be leaning toward two or three options. The closest the team came to making a trade this offseason was talk of the Lakers trading for Pacers center Myles Turner, but nothing came of it. Option two is arguably the most effective and easiest way for the Lakers to acquire the assets they need. Right now, shooters are in short supply and now they can afford to trade secondary pieces for a player or two that can improve their roster.
