3 Los Angeles Lakers trade targets to keep an eye on in 2025-26 NBA season

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3 Los Angeles Lakers trade targets to keep an eye on in 2025-26 NBA season

Rohan Brahmbhatt, ClutchPoints · ClutchPoints

Mon, Sep 15, 2025 ·

5 min read

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The post 3 Los Angeles Lakers trade targets to keep an eye on in 2025-26 NBA season appeared first on ClutchPoints .

The Los Angeles Lakers enter the 2025-26 NBA season once again caught between timelines, balancing the weight of their storied past with the uncertainty of their present. The franchise has lived through a cycle of quick fixes in the LeBron James era, chasing championships with urgency, while rarely allowing their young core to grow into sustainable stars. Now, with LeBron nearing the end of his career and Luka Doncic tasked with the offensive role full-time , the Lakers find themselves in a precarious position. Their offseason was measured compared to the blockbuster summers of rivals, but the question lingers: Is standing still good enough in a Western Conference where the Thunder, Nuggets , Timberwolves , and Mavericks are all surging?

The Lakers' roster on paper is competitive . Austin Reaves has matured into a reliable secondary playmaker and shooter, Rui Hachimura continues to provide size and scoring versatility, and the backcourt rotation is deeper than in years past after the inception of Deandre Ayton . Yet the margin for error remains razor-thin. The team has no room for prolonged injuries to Doncic or LeBron, and their supporting cast still struggles to consistently deliver against elite defenses.

For all the optimism, the sense around the league is that Los Angeles cannot remain passive if they want to maximize what could be LeBron's final contending years. That is why trade speculation already circles this team, and the pressure to identify the right target grows with each passing week of the season.

An offensive spark: Dejounte Murray as the missing guard

The Lakers have long searched for backcourt stability to complement LeBron, cycling through guards from Russell Westbrook to D'Angelo Russell with mixed results. Enter Dejounte Murray , whose situation in New Orleans is under constant watch around the league. Murray brings something the Lakers desperately lack: a reliable two-way guard capable of pressuring the rim, creating offense in the halfcourt, and defending multiple positions. While Austin Reaves has improved, the Lakers still don't have a perimeter shot creator they can fully trust outside of James, and in playoff scenarios, that void becomes glaring.

Murray's appeal lies in his fit. With Ayton anchoring the defense, Murray could wreak havoc on the perimeter as a point-of-attack defender. Offensively, his ability to drive downhill and create shots from midrange would ease the burden on LeBron, while also providing the Lakers with another closer in tight games. Unlike past guard experiments, Murray doesn't need to dominate the ball to be effective. He could thrive in a system where LeBron orchestrates the offense and Murray plays the role of finisher, secondary initiator, and defensive disruptor.

The real question is cost. Pelicans' front office remains divided on whether Murray is part of their long-term future. For the Lakers, packaging draft capital with an expendable rotation piece could be the key to landing him. The gamble is steep, but in an arms race Western Conference, it might be the kind of calculated risk the Lakers need to take.

Interior reinforcement: Myles Turner dilemma

Deandre Ayton is at his best when he plays center, but the physical toll of doing so over an 82-game season remains a recurring concern. While Los Angeles has rotated through a carousel of backup bigs in recent years, none have provided the combination of rim protection, rebounding, and spacing that Myles Turner could bring. Long linked to the Lakers in trade rumors, Turner's name resurfaces every season, and for good reason: he's the archetype of the ideal Ayton partner.

Of course, prying Turner away from Milwaukee , who just bought him, or any team that values his defensive presence, won't be easy.

A swing for the future: Lauri Markkanen as the wildcard

If the Lakers want to think beyond the LeBron window and make a play for the future while still competing in the present, Lauri Markkanen represents the most ambitious option. The Jazz forward has blossomed into one of the league's most efficient and versatile scorers, combining size, shooting, and floor-spacing at an All-Star level. His ability to stretch defenses to the perimeter while still rebounding and attacking mismatches would make him an ideal fit next to Doncic, and eventually a bridge into a post-LeBron era.

The challenge here is obvious: Markkanen will command a massive trade package. Utah is in no rush to move him, but the Jazz's broader timeline of building around younger talent could create an opening. For the Lakers, the appeal isn't just immediate competitiveness; it's securing a star who can grow with the franchise. A future core of Doncic, Reaves, and Markkanen would keep Los Angeles relevant long after LeBron retires.

Adding Markkanen would also transform the Lakers' offensive ceiling. For years, spacing has been an Achilles' heel, often clogging driving lanes for LeBron. With Markkanen on the floor, defenses would be forced to guard all five positions honestly, creating a level of balance the Lakers haven't enjoyed in years. The sheer potential of an Ayton-Markkanen pairing would shift the power dynamics in the Western Conference, giving Los Angeles a long-term identity while still honoring the short-term urgency of the LeBron era.

The urgency of now

The Lakers are no strangers to bold trades . Their history is defined by the willingness to push chips into the middle of the table, from Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to Kobe Bryant 's supporting cast to Anthony Davis himself. The 2025-26 season is no different. Standing pat may preserve assets, but it also risks wasting what could be the final competitive year of LeBron James. Dejounte Murray, Myles Turner, and Lauri Markkanen each represent different paths: a win-now guard to stabilize the backcourt, a defensive anchor to support Ayton, or a long-term star to guide the post-LeBron transition.

What unites all three scenarios is the recognition that the Lakers cannot afford to be complacent. The Western Conference is too deep, the competition too fierce, and the clock too loud to ignore. Whether they swing for the present or the future, the time for the Lakers to act is now.

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