The Los Angeles Lakers are 17-17 after 34 games and seem to need a shot in the arm if they want to salvage their season.
Last year, a series of maneuvers ahead of the NBA Trade Deadline really turned things around for them.
History will need to repeat itself in 2024.
The question now is just who exactly Los Angeles actually wants to go out there and get.
According to Zach Buckley of Bleacher Report, the Lakers’ top three trade targets going into the deadline are Zach LaVine and Alex Caruso of the Chicago Bulls, plus Bojan Bogdanović of the Detroit Pistons.
Notably missing from the list were Trae Young and Dejounte Murray of the Atlanta Hawks. L.A. has been mentioned as one of two frontrunners for the latter, and one of three frontrunners for the former.
That being said, the Lakers have also been connected in various capacities to LaVine for more than a year. They are one of four teams he has expressed an interest in being dealt to, and they seem like a pretty natural fit for him on paper.
Vanessa Bryant Shows How She Brought In New Year’s 2024 (Photos): https://t.co/H8tAr4YJSV
— Game 7 (@game7__) January 1, 2024
Caruso, likewise, was a pretty integral piece of franchise’s championship puzzle just three-and-change years ago. Unfortunately, the break-up between him and the Lakers was ugly enough to where one wonders if he really wants to come back.
Bogdanović is another guy the Lakers have been linked to for more than a year. The obstacle to acquiring him, as has been the case for a while now, remains the price tag.
The Pistons don’t seem keen on letting Bogdanović leave for nothing. And the Lakers’ trade capital, at the moment, is limited.
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— Game 7 (@game7__) January 1, 2024
This week the Lakers were linked to a blockbuster three-team trade. Obviously if it comes to fruition than all other options are moot.
But if it doesn’t, then possibilities for where L.A. opts to go ahead of the NBA Trade Deadline remain wide open.
Will the Lakers aim to improve themselves at the NBA Trade Deadline in 2024 the way they did one season ago in 2023? Time will tell.
Related: Austin Reaves Gets Honest About Lakers Woes Amid Darvin Ham Beef
A graduate from the University of Texas, Anthony Amador has been credentialed to cover the Houston Texans, Dallas Cowboys, San Antonio Spurs, Dallas Mavericks and high school games all over the Lone Star State. Currently, his primary beats are the NBA, MLB, NFL and UFC.
