In trade negotiations, the Los Angeles Lakers are not far from the deadline. These four players are probably going to be leaving.
At this trade deadline, the Los Angeles Lakers are moving. It’s difficult to see LeBron James & Co. finishing out the 2023–24 season with the current roster, whether it’s by adding an All-Star caliber player like Dejounte Murray or a lower level player like Bruce Brown or Alex Caruso.
At the moment, the Lakers are 2.5 games out of the eighth seed. They still have a lot of work to do to secure a top-6 seed in the Western Conference and advance out of the Play-In Tournament. Los Angeles will probably need to part ways with a number of rotation players in order to make the trade that moves them closer to contention. The following candidates have the highest chance of being moved before the trade deadline of February 8th.
D’Angelo Russell
One of the favorite scapegoats of Lakers fans has been Russell. The 27-year-old point guard receives criticism frequently, even when he is playing well. He is actually having a good season, making 41.7% of his threes and averaging 17 points and 6 assists per game.
However, his defensive shortcomings are significant for a club that wants to win a championship. Russell had a huge role in the Lakers’ playoff run last year, and the team can’t afford to miss out on another one while he’s playing so poorly.
Besides, salary matching works perfectly with his contract. Whether it is for a rotation player or a star, he is the most obvious choice to be part of a trade package.
Rui Hachimura
The 25-year-old combo forward, who the Lakers acquired at the trade deadline last year, was a revelation in the 2023 postseason. In addition to being extremely effective from the field, where he helped LeBron James and Anthony Davis find space, he was a strong defensive player who occasionally gave Nikola Jokic trouble.
It’s not like he’s playing badly this season. He is scoring goals quickly and with good shooting. However, he only does that, so it’s difficult to use him for longer than 22 minutes every game. Darvin Ham didn’t consistently trust Hachimura, even though the Lakers badly needed big, versatile forwards who could play both ends of the court.
A player the Lakers are paying a guaranteed $51 million over three years needs to produce more. Like Russell, his contract will be crucial to ensuring that salaries in any prospective trade are equal. Hachimura’s role needs to be upgraded by the Lakers with a better shooter or defender, preferably both. Given his age and stature, he might be worth a little bit in trade within the league.
Gabe Vincent
How the Lakers failed to get any production out of Vincent is one of the under-discussed elements of the failure of the Lakers 2023-24 season.
Vincent was one of the main free-agent acquisitions of the summer for the Lakers, coming in to replace Dennis Schroder. He was coming off a Finals appearance with the Miami Heat, where he played over 30 minutes per game while guarding the opposing team’s primary guard scorer and being a respectable shooter on the other hand. Many saw him as an upgrade over Schroder and he was widely expected to be a starter in the backcourt alongside Austin Reaves.
However, he has only played five games for the Lakers this season due to a knee injury that has kept him out of the lineup. It’s likely that he won’t return for another month. It will be too late to include him on the roster by then. The 27-year-old guard’s season appears to be over.
The Lakers, however, have the option to move his salary in order to acquire a player who can assist them this season. Vincent might be available to a more forward-thinking team in exchange for draft capital from the Lakers.
Jalen Hood-Schifino
The 17th overall pick of Los Angeles in the 2023 NBA Draft is another player who has failed to launch a successful career with the Lakers. The rookie, who is 20 years old, has only appeared on the court during garbage time this season and doesn’t appear to be a part of Los Angeles’ plans.
Hood-Schifino can still make a respectable living in the NBA. His size, scoring, and pick-and-roll skills are all good. But the Lakers are really hit or miss with this. You need to receive something worthwhile in exchange for your first-round draft selections when your superstar is 39 years old.
The Lakers ought to have moved the pick on draft day if they didn’t believe that anyone could make an impact right away. It stings more because the Lakers could have chosen players like Jaime Jaquez and Brandin Podziemski, who are both making an impact this season, instead.
Los Angeles cannot afford to keep waiting for undeveloped talent to develop into valuable NBA players. Hood-Schifino should be dropped in favor of one of the players listed above and additional draft compensation in order to shed his veteran assistance.
At this point, the Lakers are viewed as a long shot to win the Western Conference. At +1800, FanDuel Sportsbook offers them the seventh-best odds. Visit FanDuel to take advantage of their $200 sign-up bonus after placing a winning $5 wager.