Proposed Lakers Trade Brings $67 Million Most Improved Player To LA

The Los Angeles Lakers won the In-Season Tournament, but their performance in the regular season is not that great. The team lost three of the last four games and NBA analysts started speculating about all the issues players deal with right now. Are they exhausted? Did they put too much attention to the tournament? Well, NBA analysts also discuss all potential trade moves for the Lakers.

The team has been linked to several players, including Zach LaVine and Alex Caruso from the Chicago Bulls.

Lakers head coach Darvin Ham had to switch players because some of his starters deal with injuries/illness. Can Ham fit a new player in his scheme?

Lauri Markkanen from the Utah Jazz could be an ideal option. The Lakers would get Markkanen and Kris Dunn. Utah would get Gabe Vincent, Jalen Hood-Schifino, 2029 first-round pick, and 2040 first-round pick swap.

Dunn would step in as a replacement for Vincent and Hood-Schifino. Rob Pelinka can also replace Rui Hachimura for Vincent.

Lakers would trade for a talented player

Markkanen averages 23.2 points on 62.8% true shooting to go alogn with 4.5 rebounds and 1.3 assists. The 26-year-old is in the third year of his four-year deal worth $67.5 million. There’s more. He is also the reigning Most Improved Player of the Year. Dunn averages 4.7 points while shooting 36.4% from deep.

The 2022-23 Kia NBA Most Improved Player Lauri Markkanen's #KiaMIP mixtape!@Kia pic.twitter.com/f2HklgNhUY

— NBA (@NBA) April 25, 2023

Jake Fischer from Yahoo Sports discussed the potential signing of Markkanen. The Lakers could turn him into a valuable player and get the best of his skills.

“Lauri Markkanen has indeed emerged as a fascinating, albeit unlikely trade candidate before February’s buzzer,” wrote Fischer on December 15. “The Jazz are by no means expected to trade the 7-foot sharpshooter at this juncture. … But Utah has indeed left opposing executives with the sense that Markkanen is no longer untouchable.”

The Lakers have already done business with the Jazz. They contacted the team for a three-team deal with the Minnesota Timberwolves.