Although the Los Angeles Lakers haven’t made any moves this summer other than to sign their two draft picks, there is still time for them to do something to upgrade their roster.
There do have a few rumored trade targets, including Portland Trail Blazers forward Jerami Grant. Grant averaged 21.0 points a game this past season and has become a very good 3-point shooter, not to mention a very capable defender.
Right now, the one big trade chip the Lakers have in the form of a player is starting point guard D’Angelo Russell. Russell recently opted into the final year of his contract, and the team reportedly has been looking to trade him.
But Jovan Buha of The Athletic said in a recent episode of “Buha’s Block” that the Blazers aren’t interested in taking back Russell in a potential trade that would send Grant to Los Angeles (h/t Lakers Daily).
“I’ve heard Portland doesn’t want D-Lo because they have a million guards anyway,” Buha said. “So, it just doesn’t really make sense for them.”
Acquiring Grant would likely be very expensive for L.A., especially in terms of the draft picks such a deal would require. But that is the state of the current NBA, where good players who have never been All-Stars, such as Mikal Bridges, have recently been traded for lots of draft capital.