The Los Angeles Lakers are off to a 2-2 start this season, though they have yet to see their roster at full strength.
LeBron James isn’t expected to make his season debut until around mid-November as he deals with sciatica on his right side, while Luka Doncic is currently sidelined due to a sprained left finger and a lower leg contusion. Gabe Vincent and Maxi Kleber are also on the shelf.
Once Doncic and James return, the Lakers will get a clearer sense of their potential in a stacked Western Conference. For Los Angeles to make a serious push, the team will likely need Austin Reaves to take another leap and Deandre Ayton to stay healthy, but a playoff run remains a realistic goal.
MORE: Lakers center Deandre Ayton compares Austin Reaves to Suns superstar
Lakers urged to trade for Lauri Markkanen
If the Lakers determine their current core isn’t enough to contend this season, another blockbuster move could be on the table. With James in the final year of his contract and Doncic now the face of the Lakers, Bleacher Report’s Andy Bailey believes the team should try to trade for Utah Jazz forward Lauri Markkanen, calling him the Lakers’ “dream target.”
“If the Lakers are going to use draft picks, they should put together all they can to chase Lauri Markkanen,” he wrote. “His shooting and finishing around the rim would pair perfectly with Luka Doncic’s playmaking. And these two would form a championship-caliber duo to lead this team beyond the LeBron James era.”
Acquiring Markkanen and his four-year, $195.9 million contract would be complicated. Any deal would likely require at least a third team to balance salaries, a player of Reaves’ caliber and multiple first-round picks.
Still, it isn’t an unrealistic scenario. Markkanen’s name has surfaced in trade rumors for several seasons, and the Jazz could eventually decide to move him to bolster their rebuilding efforts.
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