3 trades Lakers should make now that they have Luka Doncic

The Los Angeles Lakers pulled off the heist of the millennium by stealing Luka Doncic from the Dallas Mavericks over the weekend. The trade delivered the Lakers their next generational superstar, but it also opened up some holes on the roster as Anthony Davis and Max Christie departed.

The Lakers still have a lot of work to do before they’re a true contender with Doncic. Los Angeles apparently isn’t interested in trading LeBron James (who holds a no-trade clause), but it might be a prudent move with their championship timeline extended well past the next few years with Doncic on board.

We’ll spare you the fake LeBron trades today. Instead, here are three players the Lakers should target before Thursday’s Feb. 6 trade deadline. While these aren’t game-changing moves, the Lakers would be wise to keep their 2031 first-round pick until they can use it to help land a true co-star to Doncic. That player doesn’t appear to be available right now, and as we learned again this week, the Lakers always find a way to add star talent eventually.

Nic Claxton or Robert Williams III

The Lakers’ starting center after the Doncic-Davis swap is Jaxson Hayes. The Lakers needed a big man even before this trade, and they desperately need one now. ESPN insider Shams Charania reported that the Lakers are looking for front court help “at the right place,” which means a deal that doesn’t include their 2031 first-round pick.

Could the Nets be convinced to give up Nic Claxton without a first-rounder? The Lakers would have to include rookie Dalton Knecht, who the team drafted in the first-round of the 2024 draft. This would be worth it for the Lakers in my opinion, but I’m still skeptical the Nets would bite.

Claxton is having a pretty rough season in Brooklyn, but he’s still 25 years old and is only two seasons removed from a top-10 finish in Defensive Player of theYear. Claxton looked like he could be one of the more dominant defensive bigs in the league the last time he was surrounded by stars (back when Kevin Durant and co. were still in Brooklyn), and there’s reason to believe he could bounce back in the right environment. Catching lobs from Doncic would be a god send for Claxton’s offense, and he’s the type of mobile, athletic big the Lakers need to surround Luka with defensively.

If the Nets won’t take Knecht back as the main piece in this deal, the Lakers should turn their attention to Robert Williams III. Williams is one of the biggest injury risks in the league, but at he’s best he’s an above-the-rim play-finisher on both ends of the floor. He also won’t cast you Knecht.

It’s hard to rely on Williams given his durability concerns, but he’s an elite shot-blocker and rim finisher when he’s available. Again, when you have Doncic as part of your defense, you better have a mobile big who can recover to the ball and protect the basket. Just check out these numbers from Williams in limited games this season:

Lonzo Ball

It’s a miracle that Lonzo Ball has been able to play this season after missing more than 1,000 days thanks to multiple knee surgeries. It’s even more incredible that Ball has resumed being a very good defensive guard who can still juice any offense with his defense and shooting, even if his shot has been a little hit or miss so far this year.

Ball is on an expiring contract at $21 million, which makes him a perfect buy-low candidate for any fringe contender. The Lakers would have to part with Rui Hachimura in this deal, which would be a tough decision. This deal includes Julian Phillips, a cheap, cost-controlled wing, who has been one of the Bulls better young players this year.

I wouldn’t be surprised if both sides say no to this deal, which means it’s probably close to a fair trae.

Ball’s knees might be a ticking timebomb, but if his recovery is real, he still has elite role player attributes that would be a wonderful fit next to Doncic. The best version of Lonzo’s game is so appealing that he’s worth the risk.

Josh Okogie

Okogie was already traded once this season, going from Phoenix to Charlotte in the Nick Richards trade. While he’s not a big name, he has a sneaky good season as a 3-and-D style role player. Okogie is making 38.5 percent of his threes this year, and ranks in the 84th percentile of defensive EPM.

Could the Lakers convince anyone to take Vanderbilt? He’s looking like a rough contract right now given his lack of durability this season, but the Hornets could use some more toughness and rebounding in the front court, and his contract isn’t too big, so maybe there’s a match here.

The ideal team around Doncic would have another talented on-ball creator, which is a box Austin Reaves could check. It would have an athletic, defensive-minded big man who can block shots and catch lobs. It would have two strong defensive wings who can space the floor. Most importantly, it has to include another All-Star caliber player, because the West is just too loaded without one. The Lakers still have a lot of question marks going forward, but they can answer some of them this season before the trade deadline passes on Thursday.