Lakers Interested In Acquiring Two-Way Wing

[RealGM Wiretap]

The Los Angeles Lakers operated in free agency with reservations about adding contract that extend beyond the 2025-26 season, but that reluctance has "thawed somewhat," according to Marc Stein.

The Lakers are specifically looking for an upgrade on the wing in the form of a two-way player who can raise their ceiling in the short-term.

The Lakers' main offseason acquisitions were Deandre Ayton, Marcus Smart and Jake LaRavia, while they lost Dorian Finney-Smith to the Houston Rockets.

Most importantly, the Lakers signed Luka Doncic to a three-year, $165 million contract extension. The Lakers also face a situation where both LeBron James and Austin Reaves will be free agents in 2026.

Via Marc Stein/The Stein Line

[Pickled Prunes]

Andrew Wiggins is the type of player who would be of interest to the Lakers should the Miami Heat make him available.

Trust me, Wiggins is available.... But Riley isn't going to take your scraps for him; he's going to operate like Wiggins just won Finals MVP. LAL have nothing to trade for him that doesn't make them worse.

[Vae Victus]

Andrew Wiggins is the type of player who would be of interest to the Lakers should the Miami Heat make him available.

Trust me, Wiggins is available.... But Riley isn't going to take your scraps for him; he's going to operate like Wiggins just won Finals MVP. LAL have nothing to trade for him that doesn't make them worse.

Pretty much. Best case scenario for the lakers is that there’s no trade market for Wiggins at the trade deadline and Wiggins is being a malcontent (doubtful as he doesn’t care that much) or lackadaisical (much more likely and he’s got the ability to pocket 30 mil next season doing nothing) due to the Heat being out of the playoff picture. Thus a deal for the Lakers expirings plus Knect and SRPs at least let’s MIA salvage something and not be forced to pay Wiggins player option. These days tying up 30mil on someone who isn’t an impact player handcuffs a team severely in this cap environment. Riles just praying Wiggins plays like he gives a **** and there’s a hot market for a motivated (HA!) Wiggins wanting to join a contender as the missing piece.

[Pickled Prunes]

Andrew Wiggins is the type of player who would be of interest to the Lakers should the Miami Heat make him available.

Trust me, Wiggins is available.... But Riley isn't going to take your scraps for him; he's going to operate like Wiggins just won Finals MVP. LAL have nothing to trade for him that doesn't make them worse.

Pretty much. Best case scenario for the lakers is that there’s no trade market for Wiggins at the trade deadline and Wiggins is being a malcontent (doubtful as he doesn’t care that much) or lackadaisical (much more likely and he’s got the ability to pocket 30 mil next season doing nothing) due to the Heat being out of the playoff picture. Thus a deal for the Lakers expirings plus Knect and SRPs at least let’s MIA salvage something and not be forced to pay Wiggins player option. These days tying up 30mil on someone who isn’t an impact player handcuffs a team severely in this cap environment. Riles just praying Wiggins plays like he gives a **** and there’s a hot market for a motivated (HA!) Wiggins wanting to join a contender as the missing piece.

LAL can't take back more in a trade than they receive, so it would have to be Knect plus $24m more in salary. I don't see it.

[JellosJigglin]

Personally I would like Wiggins on the Lakers. He would only need to be their 5th or 6th best player and I think he's capable of doing that even when he's lazy. But I agree with the rest of you that Riley is going to ask for too much. Definitely something to revisit at the midseason deadline.

Personally I want to see how LaRavia and their new draft pick Adou Thiero perform at the wing. Plus this was the first offseason in years where Vando wasn't injured and was able to work out. They might be set without Wiggins.

[deeps6x]

The only way to make a Wiggins to the Lakers trade work is for them to send back Vanderbilt, Vincent and Kleber. No other combination makes the salaries work for both teams. Then Miami would have to cut a couple players as well.

There is another potential trade that works financially right now, if both teams could rope Toronto into a 3 way deal.
Miami trades Wiggins to Toronto. 18.0 PPG, 4.5 RPG, 2.6 PPG, 30 years old.
Toronto trades RJ Barrett to the Lakers. 21.1 PPG, 6.3 RPG, 5.4 APG, 25 years old.
LA trades Rui Hachimura, Jared Vanderbilt and Dalton Knecht to Miami.

Wiggins is Canadian, so maybe Toronto would be interested. But they'd still be giving up the better, 5 years younger player, to get the guy, so I doubt they've be interested. Toronto does have too many SGs, so maybe they'd want to swap one for a SF. But now they'd have even more salary to shed to get under the tax line.

I don't know though. It kind of feels like all three teams lose on the deal.
Does that make it a good trade? LOL

Maybe when some trade restrictions come off in mid-December, something else could be worked out.

[Pickled Prunes]

The only way to make a Wiggins to the Lakers trade work is for them to send back Vanderbilt, Vincent and Kleber. No other combination makes the salaries work for both teams. Then Miami would have to cut a couple players as well.

There is another potential trade that works financially right now, if both teams could rope Toronto into a 3 way deal.
Miami trades Wiggins to Toronto. 18.0 PPG, 4.5 RPG, 2.6 PPG, 30 years old.
Toronto trades RJ Barrett to the Lakers. 21.1 PPG, 6.3 RPG, 5.4 APG, 25 years old.
LA trades Rui Hachimura, Jared Vanderbilt and Dalton Knecht to Miami.

Wiggins is Canadian, so maybe Toronto would be interested. But they'd still be giving up the better, 5 years younger player, to get the guy, so I doubt they've be interested. Toronto does have too many SGs, so maybe they'd want to swap one for a SF. But now they'd have even more salary to shed to get under the tax line.

I don't know though. It kind of feels like all three teams lose on the deal.
Does that make it a good trade? LOL

Maybe when some trade restrictions come off in mid-December, something else could be worked out.

Well, MIA clearly wins in that deal. Rui/Vanderbilt works for Wiggins straight up, but the Lakers already have a depth problem so I can't see how this helps them. They definitely shouldn't be trading three for one.

How about Lebron, Bronny and filler for Wiggins, Rozier and a pick?

[CaHgO]

Lakers don't need or want Wiggins - AT ALL. This is Riles trying to increase his value as they are stuck with him on a disgusting contract.

[TimeisIllmatic]

Lakers are cooked either way.

[Pickled Prunes]

Lakers are cooked either way.

They'll be fine.

[TimeisIllmatic]

Lakers are cooked either way.

They'll be fine.

Do you think this team can win a championship?

[Pickled Prunes]

Lakers are cooked either way.

They'll be fine.

Do you think this team can win a championship?

Can they win this season? Sure.
Will they? Almost certainly not.

There are only two teams that are "likely" to win this season, DEN and OKC. Here are the reasons the other potential winners are "unlikely".

CLE - Two (too) small-guard lineups really struggle in the playoffs, even when they have great defensive bigs.
NYK - Brunson is really too-small and tries to do everything himself in the clutch. They have a lot of weapons and a better offensive coach might have fixed this, but I don't believe in Mike Brown.
HOU - Too young and too old. And people seem to be completely forgetting that KD was the biggest star on the biggest train wreck in the NBA last season. Was none of it his fault?
LAC - They are a real contender if everyone is healthy and Kawhi's contract isn't voided. I'm not holding my breath.
MIN - The frontcourt logjam of Reid, Randle and Gobert is what politicians call "a misuse of funds". If they can trade one of those three for a starting PG then we might have something to talk about.
ORL - I love the Beal pickup, but can a team in today's NBA survive with only one true shooter in their staring five? Not likely!
LAL - Lebron and Luca are generational players, but they both do the same things and fill the same role. If they could trade one of them for a healthy AD....

That was a long and fun way of saying, no, I don't think LAL will win a title this season. When I say "They'll be fine," I am referring to their long term outlook. There is a good chance that they will be relevant in the playoffs until the middle of the next decade with Luka, including this season. If f you had me compile a list of "Teams That Are Cooked", I would start with PHI and go from there. LAL wouldn't be in my top 20. Their future is bright.

[TimeisIllmatic]

They'll be fine.

Do you think this team can win a championship?

Can they win this season? Sure.
Will they? Almost certainly not.

There are only two teams that are "likely" to win this season, DEN and OKC. Here are the reasons the other potential winners are "unlikely".

CLE - Two (too) small-guard lineups really struggle in the playoffs, even when they have great defensive bigs.
NYK - Brunson is really too-small and tries to do everything himself in the clutch. They have a lot of weapons and a better offensive coach might have fixed this, but I don't believe in Mike Brown.
HOU - Too young and too old. And people seem to be completely forgetting that KD was the biggest star on the biggest train wreck in the NBA last season. Was none of it his fault?
LAC - They are a real contender if everyone is healthy and Kawhi's contract isn't voided. I'm not holding my breath.
MIN - The frontcourt logjam of Reid, Randle and Gobert is what politicians call "a misuse of funds". If they can trade one of those three for a starting PG then we might have something to talk about.
ORL - I love the Beal pickup, but can a team in today's NBA survive with only one true shooter in their staring five? Not likely!
LAL - Lebron and Luca are generational players, but they both do the same things and fill the same role. If they could trade one of them for a healthy AD....

That was a long and fun way of saying, no, I don't think LAL will win a title this season. When I say "They'll be fine," I am referring to their long term outlook. There is a good chance that they will be relevant in the playoffs until the middle of the next decade with Luka, including this season. If f you had me compile a list of "Teams That Are Cooked", I would start with PHI and go from there. LAL wouldn't be in my top 20. Their future is bright.

1000% agree with you. This was a well thought out post. Sucks about what happened with Tatum; this would have been a great year for Boston to try and win it all again.... but they have some depth issues at center. Queta is not bad but his sample size is pretty limited. Maybe they will try to trade Ant Simons for a center at the deadline.

[Pickled Prunes]

Do you think this team can win a championship?

Can they win this season? Sure.
Will they? Almost certainly not.

There are only two teams that are "likely" to win this season, DEN and OKC. Here are the reasons the other potential winners are "unlikely".

CLE - Two (too) small-guard lineups really struggle in the playoffs, even when they have great defensive bigs.
NYK - Brunson is really too-small and tries to do everything himself in the clutch. They have a lot of weapons and a better offensive coach might have fixed this, but I don't believe in Mike Brown.
HOU - Too young and too old. And people seem to be completely forgetting that KD was the biggest star on the biggest train wreck in the NBA last season. Was none of it his fault?
LAC - They are a real contender if everyone is healthy and Kawhi's contract isn't voided. I'm not holding my breath.
MIN - The frontcourt logjam of Reid, Randle and Gobert is what politicians call "a misuse of funds". If they can trade one of those three for a starting PG then we might have something to talk about.
ORL - I love the Beal pickup, but can a team in today's NBA survive with only one true shooter in their staring five? Not likely!
LAL - Lebron and Luca are generational players, but they both do the same things and fill the same role. If they could trade one of them for a healthy AD....

That was a long and fun way of saying, no, I don't think LAL will win a title this season. When I say "They'll be fine," I am referring to their long term outlook. There is a good chance that they will be relevant in the playoffs until the middle of the next decade with Luka, including this season. If f you had me compile a list of "Teams That Are Cooked", I would start with PHI and go from there. LAL wouldn't be in my top 20. Their future is bright.

1000% agree with you. This was a well thought out post. Sucks about what happened with Tatum; this would have been a great year for Boston to try and win it all again.... but they have some depth issues at center. Queta is not bad but his sample size is pretty limited. Maybe they will try to trade Ant Simons for a center at the deadline.

The lack of depth at center in BOS seems to be by design. Porzingis was unreliable and Horford's NBA days are numbered. With Tatum out, this seemed like a good year to push the reset button. The East is pretty week, so I doubt they'll be in the lottery, but they'll be pretty happy if they can land a lottery pick in the late teens. They'll probably wait for next summer to shop for a center unless something falls in their lap.

They realistically should be looking to trade both Brown and Simons. Simons is really a 6th-man type player. He's not a PG and he's small.If he's going to start it needs to be next to a bigger PG. Brown is expensive and pretty inefficient for the offensive load he caries. They need to limit his dribbling and iso situations and also limit his self-created 3pt. He had (by far) the lowest ORtg in BOS and was the only player with a negative eDiff. His TS% last season was tied with Nirkic and Dillon Brooks... that's not what you want from the 3rd largest contract in the NBA!

[TimeisIllmatic]

Can they win this season? Sure.
Will they? Almost certainly not.

There are only two teams that are "likely" to win this season, DEN and OKC. Here are the reasons the other potential winners are "unlikely".

CLE - Two (too) small-guard lineups really struggle in the playoffs, even when they have great defensive bigs.
NYK - Brunson is really too-small and tries to do everything himself in the clutch. They have a lot of weapons and a better offensive coach might have fixed this, but I don't believe in Mike Brown.
HOU - Too young and too old. And people seem to be completely forgetting that KD was the biggest star on the biggest train wreck in the NBA last season. Was none of it his fault?
LAC - They are a real contender if everyone is healthy and Kawhi's contract isn't voided. I'm not holding my breath.
MIN - The frontcourt logjam of Reid, Randle and Gobert is what politicians call "a misuse of funds". If they can trade one of those three for a starting PG then we might have something to talk about.
ORL - I love the Beal pickup, but can a team in today's NBA survive with only one true shooter in their staring five? Not likely!
LAL - Lebron and Luca are generational players, but they both do the same things and fill the same role. If they could trade one of them for a healthy AD....

That was a long and fun way of saying, no, I don't think LAL will win a title this season. When I say "They'll be fine," I am referring to their long term outlook. There is a good chance that they will be relevant in the playoffs until the middle of the next decade with Luka, including this season. If f you had me compile a list of "Teams That Are Cooked", I would start with PHI and go from there. LAL wouldn't be in my top 20. Their future is bright.

1000% agree with you. This was a well thought out post. Sucks about what happened with Tatum; this would have been a great year for Boston to try and win it all again.... but they have some depth issues at center. Queta is not bad but his sample size is pretty limited. Maybe they will try to trade Ant Simons for a center at the deadline.

The lack of depth at center in BOS seems to be by design. Porzingis was unreliable and Horford's NBA days are numbered. With Tatum out, this seemed like a good year to push the reset button. The East is pretty week, so I doubt they'll be in the lottery, but they'll be pretty happy if they can land a lottery pick in the late teens. They'll probably wait for next summer to shop for a center unless something falls in their lap.

They realistically should be looking to trade both Brown and Simons. Simons is really a 6th-man type player. He's not a PG and he's small.If he's going to start it needs to be next to a bigger PG. Brown is expensive and pretty inefficient for the offensive load he caries. They need to limit his dribbling and iso situations and also limit his self-created 3pt. He had (by far) the lowest ORtg in BOS and was the only player with a negative eDiff. His TS% last season was tied with Nirkic and Dillon Brooks... that's not what you want from the 3rd largest contract in the NBA!

I did not know Jaylen was that BAD statistically. He checks all the boxes physically which I guess helps with perception. I'm not sure how they can realistically trade him though with all the money he's owed.

[Pickled Prunes]

1000% agree with you. This was a well thought out post. Sucks about what happened with Tatum; this would have been a great year for Boston to try and win it all again.... but they have some depth issues at center. Queta is not bad but his sample size is pretty limited. Maybe they will try to trade Ant Simons for a center at the deadline.

The lack of depth at center in BOS seems to be by design. Porzingis was unreliable and Horford's NBA days are numbered. With Tatum out, this seemed like a good year to push the reset button. The East is pretty week, so I doubt they'll be in the lottery, but they'll be pretty happy if they can land a lottery pick in the late teens. They'll probably wait for next summer to shop for a center unless something falls in their lap.

They realistically should be looking to trade both Brown and Simons. Simons is really a 6th-man type player. He's not a PG and he's small.If he's going to start it needs to be next to a bigger PG. Brown is expensive and pretty inefficient for the offensive load he caries. They need to limit his dribbling and iso situations and also limit his self-created 3pt. He had (by far) the lowest ORtg in BOS and was the only player with a negative eDiff. His TS% last season was tied with Nirkic and Dillon Brooks... that's not what you want from the 3rd largest contract in the NBA!

I did not know Jaylen was that BAD statistically. He checks all the boxes physically which I guess helps with perception. I'm not sure how they can realistically trade him though with all the money he's owed.

It's not really Jaylen's fault. He's a great player, but BOS has brought him up next to Tatum and treated them like they have the same skill set. They just don't. In a perfect world neither of them run the offense as much as they do. Their lack of a true PG has kind of locked them into a bad scenario. Tatum is clearly better on ball than Brown, but they are both bad enough that people believed Smart was decent starting PG in the NBA. And to anybody that points to Brown's success and Tatum's failures in the playoffs... I'm sure the opposing whiteboard says something like "Stop Tatum" and "Let Brown Iso."