Lakers Could Make Blockbuster Trade Around $163 Million Star

The Los Angeles Lakers traded for Patrick Beverley and they can still pull out a blockbuster trade. Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant are no longer options for the team. According to Marc Stein, the Lakers have a chance to get Donovan Mitchell.

Rob Pelinka will have to beat the New York Knicks and other competitors. Mitchell is an excellent player and he has attracted the attention of many teams in the NBA. The Knicks are frontrunners to get Mitchell at the moment.

“If the [New York] Knicks manage to win the trade race for Utah’s Donovan Mitchell, or even if another team unexpectedly beats them to Mitchell, league sources say there’s a decent chance that the Lakers will be involved in the deal,” Stein wrote. “The two future first-round picks that the Lakers possess in 2027 and 2029 are the kind of top-shelf draft picks that Jazz CEO Danny Ainge is believed to covet. Russell Westbrook’s $47 million expiring contract and those picks could be the Lakers’ entree to a potential three-team swap … depending on the players that would land in Los Angeles.”

Lakers to pull out another blockbuster trade

The Lakers have to improve their three-point shooting. They also have to find a better formula for Russell Westbrook. LeBron James and Anthony Davis need better shooters around them and experts have a few decent suggestions for the team. Mike Conley, Bojan Bogdanovic, and Rudy Gay make perfect sense for the team.

“If and when Mitchell is moved, there will almost certainly be a fire sale with the remaining veterans. And there are a lot to choose from, including Mike Conley, Bojan Bogdanovic, Rudy Gay, Jordan Clarkson and Malik Beasley,” Andy Bailey from Bleacher Report wrote. “Landing three of them, even if all may be post-prime, would be worth the Westbrook-and-picks package from L.A. Playing alongside Mitchell the last three years has forced Conley to adapt to playing off the ball. During that stretch, he shot 40.1 percent from three. Bogdanovic has hit 39.7 percent of his triples with the Jazz. And though Gay’s career mark of 34.9 is slightly below average, it’s good enough to force opposing 4s and 5s to follow him out to the three-point line. That influx of shooting around LeBron and AD would quickly put the Lakers back on the path to the playoffs.”