One of the most unexpected moves in recent memory occurred on Saturday night, when the Los Angeles Lakers sent Anthony Davis to the Dallas Mavericks in exchange for Luka Doncic. However, it might be the start of a frantic four-day period leading up to Thursday’s NBA trade deadline.
The Lakers addressed one issue by dealing Davis before he became a free agency next year. However, they created another dilemma by sacrificing Davis’ frontcourt defence and rebounding skills.
The Lakers have already been mentioned in multiple rumours, so it looks that another transaction is on the way. No player is safe ahead of the deadline, as seen by the trade of a nine-time All-Star.
So, who players may be on their way out of LA? Here are three players who are likely to check their phones regularly in the coming days.
1. Rui Hachimura (PF)
The Los Angeles Lakers acquired Rui Hachimura from the Washington Wizards at the 2023 trade deadline, and everything seemed to be going well. After three losing seasons in Washington, Hachimura averaged 9.6 points and 4.7 rebounds per game in the last 33 games, earning a three-year, $51 million contract extension the following year.
While Hachimura worked his way into the starting lineup and improved his 3-point shooting to.424 from downtown over the last two seasons, there have been more frustrating moments than positive ones. With his questionable post defence, the 26-year-old appears to have reached his ceiling, leading The Athletic’s Jovan Buha to believe that most NBA executives regard Hachimura as having “neutral value” ahead of the deadline.
On his “Buha’s Block” podcast last week, Buha stated that attaching assets is necessary when trading Rui. “…Rui is a guy that depending on the night, looks like a starter or a fringe rotation player.”
Hachimura alone will not attract Jakob Poeltl to Los Angeles, but his $17 million salary may play an important role. According to The Athletic’s John Hollinger, the Lakers face constraints because they are above the NBA’s first salary apron in the new collective bargaining agreement and capped at the second apron, which is why Max Christie was included in Saturday’s deal despite signing a four-year, $32 million contract extension last summer.
“Those constraints all but forced L.A. to include Christie – who I had been told he had been re-signed…this past summer as much to be a trade piece as to be a keeper on the Lakers’ roster – with a salary dump of [Jalen Hood-Schifino] to Utah completing the circle.”
Hachimura was expected to play a significant role for the Lakers, but that hasn’t happened. With the front office needing to do some acrobatics to pull off another deal, Hachimura feels like a player that may be moved and assist the Lakers obtain what they truly need at the deadline.
2. Markieff Morris (SF)
Any deal requires auxiliary items to be provided both directions. As Hachimura said, the Lakers needed to add the Utah Jazz as a third club in the transaction only to stay below salary ceiling limits. If you’re wondering why Markieff Morris and Maxi Kleber travelled to Los Angeles alongside Doncic, this is why, and it may result in one player being dealt if the Lakers make another transaction in the coming days.
The Mavericks’ willingness to make the move stemmed from an attempt to avoid the payroll cap. Had Dallas maintained Doncic, he would have sought a $350 million Supermax deal, the highest contract in NBA history and making future moves extremely difficult.
They needed to be proactive and find a solution to assist the Lakers compress Doncic’s present $43 million payroll and $45.9 million salary for next season without putting Los Angeles into the second tier. It also didn’t help that Davis’ most recent agreement will pay him $54.7 million next season, placing him ahead of Doncic by more than $8 million.
Hollinger raised these arguments, wondering what an often-injured duo of Davis and Kyrie Irving might accomplish in a deep Western Conference. But this is a Lakers story, and it outlines how the Lakers may finalise a transaction.
In an ideal scenario, the Lakers would like to get rid of Kleber’s $11 million payroll. However, no club will want to spend that much for a 33-year-old who now averages three points and 2.8 rebounds a game. Morris, however, has only appeared in seven games this season but is compensated with a $2 million contract before becoming a free agency next summer.
That is how a seemingly little element may become a crucial part of a transaction, perhaps shortening Morris’ second time with the Lakers.
3. Cam Reddish, SF.
Cam Reddish’s career has progressed from prospective lottery selection to role player for the Lakers. Reddish, the 10th overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft, played with the Atlanta Hawks for two seasons until being moved to the New York Knicks at the 2022 trade deadline. Reddish spent just than a year with New York before being moved to the Portland Trailblazers in 2023. The following summer, he signed a two-year, $4.6 million free agency contract.
Reddish’s tenure with the Lakers has seen some more ups and downs. Last season, he averaged 5.4 points and 2.1 rebounds in 20.5 minutes a game, but he also made an impact on defence. Although he piqued J.J. Reddick’s interest and made his way into the starting lineup earlier this year, he has lately been relegated to the bench and is presently dealing with a personal situation that has caused him to miss Saturday’s game against the Knicks.
Reddish is unlikely to become the star he was expected to be after graduating from Duke. However, he has the potential to develop into the player Nickeil Alexander-Walker, another 2019 first-round choice. Alexander-Walker, the 17th overall choice in the draft, struggled early with the New Orleans Pelicans and Utah Jazz before being traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves as part of the deal that sent D’Angelo Russell to Los Angeles before of the 2023 trade deadline.
Alexander-Walker is a superior three-point shooter than Reddish, but his primary worth is on defence. It also serves as a reminder that athletes may have a second act in their careers, even if they have been traded several times.
towards this time, Reddish appears to be towards the end of his contract with the Lakers, and with an inexpensive salary, a team may be prepared to take a chance on finding a role player.
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