After falling short on their free-agent pursuits, the Los Angeles Lakers are now focusing on the trade market to secure an impactful player.
According to Jovan Buha of The Athletic, the Lakers are still planning to make a consolidation trade before the new season begins.
“The Lakers expect to make a consolidation trade at some point, though that could come closer to the start of the season, according to league sources,” Buha reported.
The Lakers missed out on key free-agent targets such as Klay Thompson, Jonas Valanciunas, and James Harden, as well as backup options like DeMar DeRozan and Gary Trent Jr. Trent recently signed a one-year veteran minimum deal with the Milwaukee Bucks, as reported by ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
**Why the Lakers Are Facing Challenges**
Buha attributes the Lakers’ difficulties to their decision to offer player options instead of team options to their signings last year.
“One reason the Lakers have been unable to make any signings and had to explore trades is that four players—D’Angelo Russell, Christian Wood, Jaxson Hayes, and Cam Reddish—opted into their second-year player options due to their performances last season and the tight free-agent market,” Buha explained.
Of these four, only Russell, with an $18.7 million contract, holds significant trade value for acquiring an impact player with a similar or lower salary.
The Lakers’ current full roster prevents them from pursuing Trent, even though they have the $5.2 million taxpayer midlevel exception available. They need to offload some players to create a roster spot and use the midlevel exception.
**JJ Redick’s Wishlist: ‘Big, Bruising Man’**
After missing out on Valanciunas, Redick still hopes the Lakers can acquire a similarly imposing center via trade to alleviate Anthony Davis’ defensive load.
“You certainly have to look at what I think is actually a very good roster, a very balanced roster,” Redick said on Sirius XM NBA Radio. “We’d love to, at some point, get another big man, a big bruising five man.”
Redick emphasized the need for size to counter players like Denver’s Nikola Jokic, Minnesota’s Rudy Gobert, and Oklahoma City’s Chet Holmgren and Isaiah Hartenstein.
**Lakers Add G League Coach of the Year**
The Lakers have strengthened Redick’s coaching staff by hiring G League Coach of the Year Lindsey Harding, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
Harding, 39, led the Stockton Kings to the Western Conference Finals of the G League last season and has experience as a player development coach with the Philadelphia 76ers and Sacramento Kings. She joins former NBA head coaches Nate McMillan and Scott Brooks, along with holdover Greg St. Jean, who was part of the coaching staff during the Lakers’ 2020 championship run.
Harding and Redick are reunited in Los Angeles after their time together in Philadelphia and at Duke. Both were standout players at Duke, with Redick winning the Naismith College Player of the Year in 2006 and Harding in 2007. Harding was a player development coach when Redick played for the 76ers from 2017 to 2019.
