The Lakers have been in a constant market for Kyrie Irving since he became available at the start of the offseason. If that doesn’t work the Lakers will have to shift focus fast. They have a short contention window with LeBron James aging. The Lakers don’t have a deep roster or much draft capital to work with. If the Lakers hope to become contenders they will need to find some underrated trade targets in the market.
Underrated Lakers Trade Targets
Patrick Beverley
One of the Lakers biggest weaknesses is their lack of defense. The recently made offensive oriented signings in Thomas Bryant and Lonnie Walker IV. Bringing in Patrick Beverley with bolster this weak defense. Beverley finished with an impressive defensive rating of 110.8 this last season. He also averaged a block and a steal per game.
The Lakers also had problems with perimeter shooting this past season. Beverley shoots 37.8% from three over the course of his career. With the Utah Jazz most likely being sellers, bringing in Beverley to play good minutes off the bench for Russell Westbrook would allow him to thrive in his off the ball role.
Gary Harris
After drafting Paolo Banchero, the Magic have too many mouths to feed. They have a great young core and are gonna want to continue to tank for another star before competing. Gary Harris is too good for this rebuilding team and should be moved in order to better the tank. Harris recently re-signed with the Magic, but could be moved for cheap if the Lakers send an offer.
The Lakers could use Harris’ three-and-D skill set. Harris shot 38.4% from three last season on 5 attempts per game. He also averaged a steal per game. Harris is used to being on contending teams when he played with Denver in the first stint of his career. He would be the perfect underrated trade target for the Lakers if the Magic decide to move on from him.
Nerlens Noel
The Lakers signed Bryant in order to play center alongside Anthony Davis. Bryant is a good acquisition, but only played 27 games last season and has injury issues. The Lakers could strengthen their defense down low by bringing in a big body like Nerlens Noel.
Noel is a defensive beast who averaged 1.2 blocks and steals last season. He’s presence down low is also highlighted by rebounds in which he averaged 5.6. He’s not known for scoring as he only put up 3.4 points but he did it on an efficient 53% from the field. The addition of Noel can make up for the loss of Dwight Howard.
