After a busy summer reshaping the entire squad to fit the needs of Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves , the Los Angeles Lakers spent the recent weeks trying to add Jonathan Kuminga , but the 23-year-old forward chose the Timberwolves instead , signing a two-year, $13.0 million deal while rejecting more money from the Lakers.
This team keeps having the same athletic questions now, as they obviously rebuilt the roster around defense for Luka and Reaves , but they still don't have the young athletic forward they hoped Kuminga could become for them. Matisse Thybulle gives them defense, Quentin Grimes helps on both ends, and Ziaire Williams adds some size, but there is still room for another bigger wing who can guard from guards to forwards .
There is another issue too: the Lakers currently have 16 guaranteed contracts, one more than they can carry into the regular season. So unless somebody gets waived, another move is already coming before Opening Night.
That is why a three-for-two trade makes a lot of sense right now. Instead of simply cutting somebody from the bottom of the roster, the Lakers could use that extra body as part of a bigger deal and still attack the hole Kuminga was supposed to fill.
This three-team mock trade with the Bulls and Grizzlies would do exactly that.
Los Angeles Lakers Receive: Patrick Williams , Isaac Okoro
Chicago Bulls Receive: Jerami Grant
Memphis Grizzlies Receive: Jarred Vanderbilt , Jaden Hardy , Dalton Knecht
The Lakers would send out Jarred Vanderbilt at $12.4 million, Jaden Hardy at $6.0 million, and Dalton Knecht at $4.2 million, for about $22.6 million in total salary. They would take back Patrick Williams at $18.0 million and Isaac Okoro at $11.8 million, around $29.8 million combined, so the move adds roughly $7.2 million to their payroll.
Even after taking on the extra salary, the Lakers would still sit around $1.0 million below the first apron, so financially the deal would still work, even if it leaves them with very little room afterward.
For the other two teams, the Bulls would send out Williams and Okoro's combined $29.8 million and take back Jerami Grant at $34.2 million, adding roughly $4.4 million in salary. The Grizzlies would do the opposite, moving Grant's $34.2 million contract for Vanderbilt, Hardy, and Knecht, saving around $11.6 million while also getting three younger players back.
So the Lakers went all in on defensive reinforcements this summer, with plenty of signings to keep their two superstars from chasing guards and wings all night long, and a center in Walker Kessler who's finally going to become that dominant interior presence they needed since Anthony Davis left for Luka.
Doncic averaged 33.5 points, 7.7 rebounds, and 8.3 assists last season, while Reaves had his own huge year at 23.3 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 5.5 assists. Those two are going to have the ball a ton, and the Lakers need players around them who are fine defending, cutting, standing in the corner, and taking eight shots instead of 18.
Okoro fits that job pretty naturally, as he started 62 of his 63 games for the Bulls last season and averaged 9.3 points, 2.7 rebounds, and 1.6 assists while shooting 46.0% from the field. The three-point shooting was only 33.0%, which is definitely the concern, but he has been a starter for most of his six-year career because teams trust him defensively.
I also think Okoro would have an easier offensive job with the Lakers than he has had on a lot of his previous teams. Nobody needs him creating shots. Doncic will create open corner threes, Kessler will pull defenders toward the rim as a lob threat, and Reaves can handle secondary creation. Okoro basically needs to defend, run, cut, and make enough open threes that teams can't completely forget about him.
Williams is the bigger gamble, but also the more interesting one. His 2025-26 season was honestly bad. He averaged only 7.0 points, 3.0 rebounds, and 1.5 assists in 72 games while shooting 37.2% from the field and 34.7% from three. That isn't what anybody expected six years after he went fourth overall.
But even with that negative baggage, Williams is still 25, stands 6-foot-6 and 235 pounds, and is a career 38.1% three-point shooter. I wouldn't trade anything important given his huge contract for such a tiny impact, but the Lakers would probably be okay if he shows effort on defense and hits some threes every once in a while.
The Lakers could start Okoro and Williams next to Doncic, Reaves, and Kessler if they wanted maximum size and defense, or they could start Grimes and use one of them from the bench . Against teams with multiple scoring wings, Williams and Okoro suddenly give JJ Redick two more options without forcing Thybulle to play huge minutes.
The shooting would be the obvious worry. Okoro shot 33.0% from three last season, Williams shot 34.7%, and Kessler isn't spacing the floor either. You probably don't want all three playing together for 30 minutes every night.
But that is why having options helps. Grimes can shoot, Sexton can score, Sandro Mamukelashvili can stretch the floor from the frontcourt, and Reaves and Doncic will obviously carry the offense.
I would rather have that problem than watch another playoff series where the Lakers don't have enough bodies to throw at elite wings, as the sweep against the Thunder showed last season. Their offense will be great regardless, but it's their defense that must improve from 19th into the top half next season.
The outgoing package looks nicer because there are three names, but I don't think the Lakers would really be giving up a major piece.
Vanderbilt is still a very good defender and rebounder, but his offensive limitations have been there forever. He averaged 4.4 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 1.3 assists in 65 games last season while shooting only 29.3% from three. He played just 17.4 minutes per game and started three times. Williams would basically replace Vanderbilt's larger-wing defensive role, while giving the Lakers at least a better chance of having a respectable shooter on the floor.
Hardy is probably the player I would think about the most before saying yes. The Lakers only acquired him in July when they sent Deandre Ayton to the Wizards , and Hardy is still 24 years old. He averaged 9.2 points in 57 games last season while shooting 39.7% from three, so there is definitely some scoring talent there.
But look at the Lakers' guards now. Doncic and Reaves obviously are the guys , and they also signed Grimes, and Sexton will be the primary bench scorer. Hardy could be a nice tool to have, but I don't know where his scoring role is coming from unless somebody gets hurt.
Dalton Knecht is in a similar spot, because his rookie year was promising at 9.1 points per game and 37.6% from three, but his second season went backwards. Knecht averaged only 4.2 points in 10.2 minutes across 54 games, shot 34.2% from three, and spent part of the season going back and forth from the G League.
Maybe he bounces back if they don't move him. At the end of the day, he is still a good shooter and was only drafted in 2024. But the Lakers are trying to win now, and if Knecht plus Hardy can help turn Vanderbilt's contract into two defenders who fit the main rotation better, I would do it.
For the Bulls, there is a very strong basketball argument to make this trade, as they'd be getting the obvious best player in the deal for two players they don't exactly consider untouchable.
They were only 31-51 last season, with the 23rd-ranked offense and 22nd-ranked defense, but their offseason was a message that the tanking days are fairly over. They added Norman Powell and Nic Claxton , while keeping Josh Giddey , Matas Buzelis , and several other young players.
Jerami Grant bounced back last season after a rough 2024-25 year, averaging 18.6 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 2.1 assists while shooting 45.3% from the field and 38.9% from three. The Grizzlies acquired him this summer in the Ja Morant trade , but at 32 years old, he looks a little strange on a team starting over around Cameron Boozer .
A starting lineup of Giddey, Powell, Grant, Buzelis, and Claxton would have size, shooting, ball-handling, and enough scoring to at least make the Play-In conversation more interesting than last year.
The Bulls also get to finally move on from Patrick Williams. Six seasons is enough time to know what you have, and his $18.0 million salary runs through 2028-29. He is still young, but he never developed into the player they thought , and Caleb Wilson just arrived as another major young frontcourt piece who will definitely eat his minutes.
The issue is Grant's contract, which is pretty large at $34.2 million this season and $36.4 million in 2027-28. For a 32-year-old forward joining a 31-win team, that isn't exactly perfect. The Bulls must believe they can compete for a playoff spot right now to make this commitment. Grant is much better offensively than Williams and gives them another veteran presence for a very young team.
If they are still thinking long-term and just want to see where they stand before going all-in for this, I don't really understand why they would turn two 25-year-olds into a 32-year-old. That is the biggest question in this whole mock trade; the other stuff, I think it's pretty straight.
The Grizzlies are probably the team that says yes to this move the fastest out of the three. They went 25-57 last season, traded Morant this summer, and are clearly starting something new . In this deal, they turn a 32-year-old Grant into three younger players while also cutting around $11.6 million from their 2026-27 payroll.
And if I were the Grizzlies, Hardy is the player I'd be most excited about. He is only 24 and has already shown real shooting ability, hitting 39.7% from three last season. Put him on a rebuilding team where he can actually get 20 or 25 minutes every night, and maybe you find out there is more there than what he showed in smaller roles before.
Knecht also deserves a shoutout, because with him there's definitely a lot more in the tank after such a great rookie season for a competitive Lakers team. He's only 25, is under contract for two more seasons before restricted free agency hits, and I'd bet he could break out in a new situation. They also gain a 27-year-old forward in Vanderbilt, who is usually injured, but if healthy, he'd be a nice asset for a trade deadline move.
The Grizzlies don't get a premium pick here, but they do get three players, two actual development bets, and a lot of salary relief for a veteran who probably shouldn't be part of the rebuild anyway. I think they say yes pretty quickly.
The Lakers should seriously consider this if the price really is Vanderbilt, Hardy, and Knecht with no draft compensation.
Patrick Williams is a risk at $18.0 million per season, but he is still only 25, and his role would be much simpler than it has been with the Bulls. Isaac Okoro gives them another point-of-attack defender immediately, and both could play important minutes for this team.
The Grizzlies make sense too. They turn a 32-year-old with two expensive seasons left into younger players and save a lot of money while rebuilding around Boozer.
The Bulls are the team I would worry about. Grant is the best player in the trade today, so this is an upgrade for them. But giving up two players for a veteran on $34.0 million only makes sense if the Bulls are genuinely trying to win 40-plus games right now.
Still, as a three-team framework, I actually like this one a lot for the Lakers. It isn't flashy, there isn't another star coming, and Williams might never become anything close to what people expected from a No. 4 pick. But the Lakers always need players who can defend the opponent's best scorers. They already have some of those, but with Luka and Reaves, having too many good defenders is actually a good thing.
