The Los Angeles Lakers are only a few weeks away from some potential, franchise-altering decisions.
The NBA offseason is potentially a week away, and soon we will get a ton of answers to many unanswered questions. The Lakers will be at the forefront of the NBA offseason, as they could pull off a massive trade or two to bolster their roster.
The exact appearance of the potential trade is unclear, but there is no doubt that a trade could be on the horizon. The Lakers could go a multitude of ways in a potential trade, but it could very likely involve veteran forward Rui Hachimura.
Hachimura has played in Los Angeles for the past two-plus seasons and is coming off a solid season. While that is the case, he could be used as part of a massive trade L.A. could conduct this summer.
In this trade scenario, the Lakers involve Hachimura and two other key players, plus picks, for Nets big man Nic Claxton. NBA writer and analyst Jake Weinbach shared the trade proposal on X.
Hachimura is the best player in return in this package that could very much become a reality in the coming weeks. The 26-year-old is coming off a season in which he shot 41.3 percent from three on a career-high 4.2 attempts per game.
While his potential loss could be detrimental, the addition of Claxton is not only the type of player the Lakers want, but also the type they need. It was clear as day that the Lakers' most significant disadvantage was at the center position.
Jaxson Hayes was thrown into the fire and played well at the start of his uptick in play, but as the season progressed, it was clear he was not a starting-caliber type of center, especially for what appeared to be a championship-contending team at the time.
Claxton may not be the best center on the trade market, and many could argue that the Lakers would overpay, but he is undoubtedly the type of player who could thrive alongside Luka Doncic. He is a long, athletic big, and we've seen that type of archetype thrive with Doncic feeding them the ball.
Claxton could work, but it could likely mean throwing Hachimura in the deal to pay the price.
