LA Lakers Trade Rumors: LA Lakers’ front office evaluating need for trades carefully after messing up trade options prior this season

The LA Lakers dropped to 13th in the Western Conference after their 124-115 loss at the Dallas Mavericks on Sunday. And with Anthony Davis now out for an extended period, the Lakers (13-20) will go into the new year well below .500.

On Sunday, not one Laker in the starting lineup except LeBron James managed a double-digit statline. Lakers coach Darvin Ham started Patrick Beverley, Lonnie Walker IV, Dennis Schroder and Thomas Bryant alongside James. Austin Reaves scored 16 points and Russell Westbrook 17 off the bench.

Following the game, a glimpse of the Lakers' front-office strategy was outlined in an article by Jovan Buha of The Athletic:

"Reinforcements via trade would obviously help, and the Lakers are still evaluating their options on a dormant trade market. At the same time, it becomes increasingly challenging to justify trading a first-round pick if the group continues to struggle. The front office doesn’t want to compound its previous mistakes with more win-now moves." (via) The Athletic

LA Lakers' trade options

LA Lakers vs. Dallas Mavericks: LeBron James

While this has been talked about excessively, the LA Lakers' needs this season are the same as they were in the 2021 offseason, during the 2021-22 regular season and this offseason: shooting and defense.

Wing players are a hot commodity in the NBA market for win-now teams. Most win-now teams in the last decade have been built on the back of two-way wings.

Who can the Lakers look at?

Rumors indicate that Los Angeles has already inquired about, or at least expressed their interest, in Jae Crowder, who is currently sitting out of games for Phoenix over a contract dispute.

Bleacher Report's Eric Pincus has pitched Kyle Kuzma as someone who could potentially rejoin the Lakers. Kuzma was sent over to the Wizards in a trade that brought Russell Westbrook to the Lakers in the 2021 offseason.

Kuzma, who is averaging a career-high 21.8 points per game, would fit into the starting lineup, bringing size and scoring to the table. He is also shooting 34.3% from 3-point range, a number that is likely to go up with fewer attempts.

Another prospect for the Lakers is Bojan Bogdanovich, who has really emerged as a player many teams might vie for come February. At 6-foot-7, Bogdanovich averages 20.8 ppg on a staggering 41.6% from 3-point range.

Besides the aforementioned players, the Lakers have long been in conversations to acquire Buddy Hield and Myles Turner. However, they don't seem any closer to getting that deal done.