NBA Trade Deadline 2023: What to expect from the Lakers

As the NBA trade deadline rapidly approaches, teams are staring at a trade deadline that is closing in abruptly. This season, the trade deadline is on Feb. 9, but the rumors have stretched all the way back to before the start of the season.

The Lakers roster was one that has long been constructed with the idea of trading away Russell Westbrook on the mind. Their gluttony of guards has existed for the entirety of the season leading up to the trade deadline and has only been made more confusing by Westbrook’s improved play this season. But it’s clearly been a subpar roster that has needed upgrading and LeBron James has pleaded for those upgrades.

According to our friends at DraftKings, some of the most likely players to be traded have been linked to the Lakers. Cam Reddish is the second odds-on favorite at -250 while Bojan Bogdanovic is right behind him at -200. Russell Westbrook was well down the list at +220 odds to be dealt when this was originally published, so that could have paid out nicely.

The links and reports have been aplenty by the actual trades and deals have been virtually non-existent. Still, in an effort to keep you up to date on all the reports, we’ll be tracking all the reputable rumors that link the Lakers to various trade targets as well as constantly updating the players on the Lakers roster who could be on their way out.

Players the Lakers have traded for

• D’Angelo Russell
• Malik Beasley
• Jarred Vanderbilt
• Rui Hachimura
• Davon Reed
• Mo Bamba

Players the Lakers have traded away

• Russell Westbrook
• Kendrick Nunn
• Juan Toscano-Anderson
• Damian Jones
• Thomas Bryant
• Patrick Beverley

The Lakers currently have 14 guaranteed contracts and both two-way slots filled, leaving them with one open roster spot.

Players the Lakers have been linked to

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OG Anunoby

• (Update, 2/7) Along with basically one-third of the league, the Lakers have checked in on Raptors wing OG Anunoby, per Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports.

Fred VanVleet

• (Update, 2/7) The Lakers see VanVleet as a possible trade target if the Raptors decide to blow it up, according to Dan Woike of The L.A. Times.

Bogdan Bogdanovic

• (Update, 2/7) The Lakers also have some level of interest in Bogdan Bogdanovic, per Woike.

Terry Rozier

• (Update, 2/4) There have been persistent reports that Terry Rozier is a potential Lakers target in a deal for Russell Westbrook, with the latest coming from Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports, who also reported that the Lakers have talked with the Hornets about such a deal.

DeMar DeRozan

• (Update, 1/28) The Lakers were hoping DeMar DeRozan would shake loose back in September, and may theoretically still be in the hunt for him.
• Prior to that update, DeRozan (and his teammate Nikola Vucevic) were linked to Los Angeles in early December. DeRozan has also, of course, made no secret of his desire to play in his hometown.

Zach LaVine

• Zach Lowe of ESPN reported that the Lakers are interested in LaVine if the Bulls decide to blow it up.

Gary Trent Jr.

• The Lakers are looking at Raptors guard and Klutch Sports client Gary Trent Jr. for the second straight trade deadline.

Buddy Hield

• Hield has been someone the team has pursued well before his time in Indiana and always feels like someone they could circle back around on at any point.

Bojan Bogdanovic

• Another player who the Lakers have been linked to for some time, but this time it’s a player they’re still very actively being linked to.

Evan Fournier

• Tangentially related to their interest in Reddish, the Lakers have also been linked to Evan Fournier, but they don’t seem particularly close to meeting the Knicks asking price.

Kyle Kuzma

• Talk about a familiar name. Kyle Kuzma has blossomed in Washington since leaving the Lakers and could now be part of a solution to a problem created by his absence.

Terrance Ross

• Honestly, we’re contractually obligated to include Terrance Ross in this every season.

Players the Lakers might trade away

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Lonnie Walker IV

• (Update 2/6) Jovan Buha of The Athletic reported that the Lakers are willing to include Walker in a deal for an upgrade at the trade deadline.

Austin Reaves

• The Lakers really like Austin Reaves, and according to Jovan Buha of The Athletic, the team was not “interested” in sending him out in a Kyrie Irving deal.

Max Christie

• Also according to Buha, the Lakers didn’t want to put Max Christie in an Irving trade.

Players the Lakers didn’t trade for

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Josh Richardson

• Similar to multiple players above, the Lakers’ interest in Richardson predates this season. Most recently, Richardson was part of potential Russell Westbrook trade packages from the Spurs, but was ultimately dealt to the New Orleans Pelicans.

Cam Reddish

• The Lakers have long had an odd fascination with Cam Reddish — especially considering how much he’s struggled at every stop in his career — dating back to last year’s trade deadline, but he was traded to the Blazers the night before the deadline.

Kyrie Irving

• (Update, 2/5) Kyrie Irving was going to sit out until the Nets traded him, according to multiple reports, but he only had to miss one game, as Brooklyn is sending him to the Dallas Mavericks.
• There is a convincing case to be made that the Lakers’ first trade of the deadline (for Rui Hachimura) may have directly led to Irving’s latest trade demand.
• The Lakers, Mavericks and Suns were all initially expected to pursue a deal for Irving after he requested a trade from the Nets, and the Clippers soon joined the fray as well.

Mike Conley

• The Lakers reportedly also saw Conley as one of a few possible trade targets in the wake of missing out on Kyrie Irving, according to Dan Woike of The L.A. Times, but in the wake of their trade for Russell that sent him to the Wolves in DLo’s place, he is obviously no longer a candidate.

Myles Turner

• (Update, 1/30) The Pacers extended Turner, adding two years to his current deal, and head coach Rick Carlisle says he’s “off the trade block.”
• The Lakers have circled Turner and Buddy Hield since last summer, but those reports have grown more and more sparse in frequency as the deadline has approached, partially due to the Pacers actually being good.

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