The LA Lakers recently sent D’Angelo Russell to the Brooklyn Nets in exchange for Dorian Finney-Smith and Shake Milton in what proved to be a headline-making trade. As the Feb. 6 trade deadline draws near, the Purple and Gold are expected to consider making more moves to bolster their roster in the hope of contending for the NBA championship while LeBron James is still active.
Some rumors link Lakers GM Rob Pelinka to discussions with the Utah Jazz, potentially looking to acquire Walker Kessler and bring him to the City of Angels. The rumors also include Jazz guard Colin Sexton as a target for the Lakers in recent weeks; he is currently on a four-year, $70.95 million contract with Utah.
Amid all the rumors, NBA insider Eric Pincus shared an idea for a big-time trade that could see the LA Lakers get Kessler, Sexton, and point guard Patty Mills, all while retaining their key players Rui Hachimura and Austin Reaves.
“There is Laker interest in [Jazz center] Walker Kessler. That is firmly established that they want to add another big guy.”
via (Pincus, ESPN LA)#LakeShow pic.twitter.com/SwpIAe37YO
— 🎗NBA•Fan🎗 (@Klutch_23) January 7, 2025
Pincus suggested that the Lakers could acquire Kessler, Sexton, and Mills by offering a trade package that includes Gabe Vincent, Christian Wood, Jalen Hood-Schifino, Cam Reddish, and Jaxson Hayes, as well as the removal of top-4 protection on their 2027 first-round pick, unprotected first-round picks in 2029 and 2031, a $7.4 million trade exception for Sexton, and a $2.1 million trade exception for Mills.
LA Lakers fail to defeat Luka and Kyrie-less Mavericks
The LA Lakers suffered a humiliating loss to the Dallas Mavericks on Tuesday with a final score of 118-97. Not only were they behind by 21 points at the end of regulation, they were also defeated by a team that was missing its key players, Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving.
In the absence of their star players, Mavericks shooting guard Quentin Grimes finished the contest with a game-high 23 points, coming off the bench. He is followed by starting forward P.J. Washington, who scored 22 points. Meanwhile, Lakers center Anthony Davis recorded a double-double of 21 points and 12 rebounds in a losing effort.
All of us after that Bron jam tbh 🤯🤯🤯 pic.twitter.com/G683cvSk4l
— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) January 8, 2025
While LeBron James also recorded a double-double of 18 points and 10 rebounds that night, it did not seem to matter’ the rest of the Lakers struggled to execute offensively and fell apart defensively. The Mavericks capitalized on the opportunity to outscore the out-of-sync Lakers, shooting 47.4% from beyond the arc, sinking 18 of their 38 three-point shot attempts.
Tuesday’s loss follows the Lakers’ second consecutive defeat after falling at the hands of the Houston Rockets on Sunday. It only emphasizes the team’s desperate need to make drastic roster adjustments and acquire key players before the trade deadline if they hope to start a campaign for the NBA championship this season.
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Dan has been active in sports since 2016 and has worked behind the scenes as a scriptwriter for basketball, volleyball, and other sports. At a time, Dan has also been working as a sports commentator for CBA Pilipinas. During the pandemic, he has also been actively writing betting articles for CashBet and BetNow.
