The week of the NBA trade deadline is finally here, which means the clock is ticking for the Los Angeles Lakers to make moves to upgrade their roster.
As is usually the case this time of year, the Lakers have been linked to a number of different players across the league. It’s no secret that the team has struggled through the regular season to this point and could use some reinforcements for the stretch run and the playoffs, similar to last season.
As things currently stand, the Lakers could use a 3-and-D type wing to make up for the loss of Jarred Vanderbilt, and one player they have interest in is Dorian Finney-Smith of the Brooklyn Nets, via Michael Scotto of HoopsHype:
Finney-Smith has drawn significant interest on the trade market, including several playoff-caliber teams such as the Lakers and Mavericks. With Jarred Vanderbilt potentially out for the season, per ESPN, Finney-Smith is a versatile defensive forward who can make up for his loss while spacing the floor. The Mavericks have long held interest in a reunion with Finney-Smith who is a close friend of franchise star Luka Doncic.
Finney-Smith and Royce O’Neale are two Nets players the Lakers have been linked to for a while now, and it makes sense as they are shooting 38.3% and 36.4% from 3-point range, respectively, this season.
If shooting on the wing is what the Lakers are looking for then perhaps the veteran Danillo Gallinari, who is a 38.2% shooter from deep in his career, would make sense. L.A. also has reported interest in the Detroit Pistons wing:
Another player rival executives are monitoring is Danilo Gallinari who’s continued to be a knockdown 3-point shooter while playing minutes at the four and small ball five at times in the final year of his contract. The Lakers are among the teams who’ve checked in on Gallinari’s price tag to acquire him, league sources told HoopsHype.
Wing shooting isn’t the Lakers’ only need, however. They failed to address their need at center over the offseason, and one name they have been linked to is Andre Drummond:
One Bulls player who could be dealt, however, is center Andre Drummond who’s drawn trade interest from the Celtics, Mavericks, Lakers and Suns, league sources told HoopsHype. The Rockets also considered making a run at Drummond before acquiring Steven Adams.
Drummond’s first tenure with the Lakers may not have gone well, but there’s no denying he would fill a need now as a big, bruising center who can help on the glass and defensively in certain matchups such as against the Denver Nuggets and Nikola Jokic.
With Gabe Vincent still out though, perhaps backup point guard is a bigger need for the Lakers. They have been linked to Tyus Jones of the Washington Wizards for a while now and unsurprisingly are still interested:
Tyus Jones has drawn trade interest from the Magic, Spurs, Nets, Lakers and Timberwolves, league sources told HoopsHype. The Wizards value Jones as a potential piece going forward and are open to re-signing him in free agency this summer. As recently reported by HoopsHype, Washington would covet a future first-round pick to consider parting with Jones.
Jones is having a career year in Washington, averaging 12.2 points and 6.3 assists while shooting 39.2% from deep, but likely wouldn’t help the Lakers address their point-of-attack defense issue much.
Regardless, there clearly are some options out there that would help improve the Lakers, so it will be interesting to see what path Rob Pelinka takes between now and the deadline.
Emphasis on Lakers adding defensive wing
While the timing of Vanderbilt’s injury is not ideal, it at least gives the Lakers some time to replace him at the deadline. And it appears that is their current top priority as reports indicate there is an emphasis on bringing in a defensive wing, with Finney-Smith being a perfect fit.
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