Top 3 Trade Targets Named for Lakers This Season
JJ Redick: “For the first time in my three years with the Lakers, this is probably the first time I feel the pieces actually fit together.”
— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) September 24, 2026
“For the first time in my three years with the Lakers, this is probably the first time I feel the pieces actually fit together.”
He even went so far as to address how they will fill the two starting spots to join Luka Doncic, Austin Reaves and Walker Kessler:JJ Redick: “I’m very confident in three of the starting spots, the other two spots will not be two white guys.”
— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) September 24, 2026
“I’m very confident in three of the starting spots, the other two spots will not be two white guys.”
But all of this enthusiasm doesn't mean the Lakers will be the same team throughout the season. There are a number of trade targets they still have their eyes on.
Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report names their main targets on the trade market; here are the top three:
Julius Randle, Brooklyn Nets
The Nets are not a team in contention this season, and it says here that Randle will not be happy with his lot in life there, even if he will be familar with the city in which he's playing.
For the Purple & Gold, Randle has "the kind of physical presence the Lakers don't have on the roster," writes Pincus. With Jake LaRavia currently projected to be the starting 'four', Randle makes sense as a trade target.
It would be a homecoming, as Randle started his career with four seasons in LA, after they made him the 7th overall pick in 2014.
PJ Washington, Dallas Mavericks
The Mavs will be continuing to look to move out veterans this season as they build out their roster around 19-year-old phenom Cooper Flagg. Washington isn't exactly long in the tooth, but at almost a decade older than Flagg, he doesn't fit the timeline.
For the Lakers, sticking with that need at power foward, "Washington is a strong fit as a former Dončić teammate who is a willing role player, defender, and shooter," says Pincus. "He's not as accurate from three-point range as the Lakers would want, but Washington knows well where Dončić is going to get him the ball and is willing to let it fly."
Derrick Jones Jr., LA Clippers
Jones Jr. is another player who had a solid role as a Doncic sidekick, helping the Mavs reach the Finals in 2024. He is on an expiring contract at $10.5 million.
But Pincus notes that the Lakers don't have the first-round draft capital that the first-round-starved Clippers would want in return. Perhaps it comes down to the trade deadline, and if the Clips are unable to get something in Round 1, the Lakers could offer a trio of second-round picks.
But Jones Jr. isn't the total answer for the Lakers, says Pincus. "While he'd fill an important role as a wing stopper, Jones wouldn't solve the Lakers' frontcourt depth issues."