The Los Angeles Lakers are reportedly on the verge of making some major changes during this trade season, as the team has multiple holes it needs to fill and can't blame their struggles on coaching anymore. Lakers target Jonas Valanciunas is eligible for trade after December 15, with Anthony Irwin reporting that the Lakers are pushing to get a trade agreed upon as soon as Jonas is eligible to be moved.
"Given the Lakers' injury issues at center and their tedious hold of the eighth seed in the West, league sources believe Pelinka will get to work right away on acquiring Valanciunas... According to those I've spoken to with knowledge of the situation, Washington and L.A. have already held preliminary talks about a Valanciunas deal, and the expectation is for those talks to ramp up once he can be traded."
Irwin indicated what the potential trade package for Valanciunas could be, primarily including guard Gabe Vincent and second-round draft compensation.
"The expectation is for the Lakers to offer (Gabe) Vincent and second-round pick compensation to the Wizards. They may also attach one of their veteran minimum contracts (Christian Wood, Cam Reddish, or Jaxson Hayes) in the deal to give themselves more room under the second apron and to open a roster spot."
This deal would allow the Lakers to remain under the second apron and maintain flexibility for additional trades. However, the second-round pick compensation could be high if the Lakers want to execute the deal immediately after December 15.
If they meet that price, it would ensure no other team can land Valanciunas but the Lakers could wait until deeper in the season to see if his price softens. The Washington Wizards center is averaging 12.6 points and 8.1 rebounds this season, with the Lakers pursuing him since the offseason.
In his article, Irwin also shared that if the Lakers end up moving Vincent in a deal for Valanciunas, they could target free-agent guard Markelle Fultz as a backup replacement.
"Per sources, the Lakers have had internal conversations about (Markelle) Fultz... Fultz would step into the role Vincent was playing and could serve as guard depth should the Lakers decide to trade D'Angelo Russell. Standing 6'4″ with legitimate athleticism, Fultz would provide physicality on the perimeter the Lakers have sorely missed defensively."
Fultz averaged 7.8 points, 3.2 rebounds, 2.8 assists, and 1.0 steals per game last season for the Orlando Magic before going unsigned over free agency.
Fultz has a shaky jumper which makes most teams afraid to take a risk on him despite his athleticism, ball-handling ability, and clear defensive upside. The Lakers could use a backup like him to fix issues about backup guard play and defense, but it wouldn't help the Lakers' already poor spacing.
Other backup guards the Lakers could look at include former lottery pick Dennis Smith Jr., who last played for the Brooklyn Nets last season, averaging 6.6 points, 2.9 rebounds, and 3.6 assists, proving to be a slightly better shooter and playmaker than Fultz.
Outside of them, there aren't many great options in free agency right now for the franchise. They'll need to find answers regardless, and it can't begin until a trade for Jonas or some other center.
