Proposed Trade Lands Former Champion Amid Lakers Speculated Interest

The Los Angeles Lakers may need an extra pair on hands on the basketball court. There are several potential targets for the team and the Lakers can actually trade for a former champion. It won’t come without a struggle though.

According to Jovan Buha from The Athletic, the Lakers will face serious competition if they decide to go after Toronto Raptors guard Bruce Brown.

“If the Toronto Raptors decide to move on from Bruce Brown Jr., the Lakers will have interest in acquiring him, according to team sources,” wrote Buha on January 19. “The Lakers coveted Brown last summer and believed they were the favorites to sign him using the team’s nontaxpayer midlevel exception before Indiana swooped in with a cap-space offer.

“Much like he was last summer, Brown will become one of the most coveted players on the trade market if he’s available. Of note: Because Brown was already traded from Indiana to Toronto in the [Pascal] Siakam deal, he cannot be combined with another player in a potential trade.”

The Lakers are getting Brown and the Raptors will get Gabe Vincent, Jalen Hood-Schifino, and 2029 first-round pick.

Lakers could benefit from the expected trade for the champion

Adrian Wojnarowski from ESPN discussed Brown’s current situation and the Lakers’ interest in the talented guard.

“From the time the Lakers lost to Denver, got eliminated in the Conference Finals last year, there’s been one player they’ve really been focused on trying to acquire: Bruce Brown Jr.,” Wojnarowski said on “NBA Countdown” on January 19.

”In free agency, if Indiana had not stepped up with a 2-year, $45 million deal, there’s a very good chance Bruce Brown would have gone to the Lakers for their mid-level exception.”

Getting Brown makes sense for the Lakers. He averages 12.1 points, 4.7 rebounds, 3.0 assists, and 1.0 steals so far in the season, a he is shooting 32.1% from deep.

The Lakers can offer Austin Reaves and get a top trade target, but the front office won’t give up on him that easily. D’Angelo Russell, Rui Hachimura, and Vincent are trade assets and Rob Pelinka won’t have trouble trading them away.