Confirmed deal : NBA Rumors Lakers Linked To 9 Players Including Kyle Kuzma And Collin Sexton

 

The Lakers are expected to be busy in the trade market this season and have been linked to nine notable players.

 

The Los Angeles Lakers sport a 14-12 record in this 2024-25 season and it has become clear they need to make trades if they hope to become title contenders. The Athletic’s Jovan Buha believes the Lakers will make a trade before the deadline and listed nine names to keep in mind, with Jonas Valanciunas at the top of that list.

 

“The buzziest name in league circles, who’s been attached to the Lakers dating back to the summer, is Washington Wizards center Jonas Valanciunas ($9.9 million salary this season). He checks the box of a big, bruising, physical center, though his defensive mobility is limited and he can be targeted on that end (as the Lakers did twice in high-stakes games to close the 2023-24 regular season and in the Play-In game).”

 

Valanciunas is averaging 12.0 points, 7.6 rebounds, 2.2 assists, 0.3 steals, and 0.8 blocks per game for the Washington Wizards in 2024-25. As Buha pointed out, he isn’t a great defender, but he would still be a major upgrade over every backup big the Lakers have. NBA insider Michael Scotto believes the Lakers would look to acquire Valanciunas by offering Gabe Vincent and second-round picks.

 

Two other areas of concern for the Lakers are perimeter defense and outside shooting and that’s where the next two names come in. Buha points to Cameron Johnson and Dorian Finney-Smith from the Brooklyn Nets as two players the team could go after.

“After trading Schroder, Brooklyn is expected to make wings Cam Johnson ($22.5 million but with a likely cap hit of $27 million) and Dorian Finney-Smith ($14.9 million) available — and much sooner than the Feb. 6 deadline. Both have been tied to the Lakers for months. The Lakers have been interested in Finney-Smith for at least a couple of years.”

 

Johnson is averaging 18.5 points, 4.4 rebounds, 2.9 assists, 0.9 steals, and 0.5 blocks per game for the Nets in 2024-25. He has shot 43.1% from beyond the arc and would greatly help a team that has struggled from beyond the arc. We came up with a couple of ways in which the Lakers could land Johnson.