5 Trade Targets for the Los Angeles Lakers

It's weird to say that the team with the best record in the Western conference needs to make a trade or roster upgrade, but here we are. We all know how talented the Los Angeles Lakers are behind LeBron James and Anthony Davis, but once you get past the two superstars, things start to breakdown a bit.

It's pretty obvious that this team needs another guard who can create for others on the roster. Rajon Rondo just isn't getting it done and the rest of the guards on the roster aren't really built to create. Outside of the need for more creation offensively, shooting is always a need for any team in the NBA, but especially a LeBron James team. He'll constantly find the open guy, but needs guys on the roster who can knock them down consistently. Is Kyle Kuzma really someone you're going to be able to count on to hit big shots in the playoffs? That's the question the Lakers front office will have to face as they look to upgrade the roster for the rest of the season.

The Lakers current three game slide shouldn't be overly concerning going forward, but they also shouldn't let their current record stop them from upgrading going forward. After all, this is a LeBron James team and he'll forever put pressure on a front office to spend and improve however they can to win a title. We should mention that the Lakers will have to get really creative to make any move this winter based on their draft pick and cap situation going forward. They (rightfully) gave up a lot in the AD trade and now have a limited amount of assets to move.

With that all in mind, the Complex Sports team put together five trade targets that the Lakers should look at as we move into 2020 and the upcoming trade deadline.

Marc Stein recently mentioned that the sliding Pelicans have remained reluctant to include JJ Redick in any trade talks, but how much longer will that continue if they continue to lose? Redick would be a perfect addition to this Lakers roster and add the shooting threat they're mostly missing outside of Danny Green. The Lakers also already owe the Pelicans a ton of picks from the Anthony Davis deal, so maybe it would just take removing a few protections from the previous move to get this done.

It's no secret that the Knicks will be open for business this trade season and Marcus Morris seems like a prime candidate to get moved. Morris is averaging 18 PPG this saeson and shooting over 45% from deep. He's a guy that not only is putting up numbers, but adds a level of toughness to a team that's needed to win a title. As we mentioned in the intro, the Lakers will have to get creative to pull off some of these moves with their draft pick situation, but Morris is defintely a guy they should have on their radar.

The Thunder have been one of the biggest surprise teams of the season, but reports still indicate that they're willing to trade away some players this winter. That likely means Dennis Schroder can be had in a deal, and he'd be the perfect type of guy for the Lakers and a clear upgrade over Rondo. This would be one hell of an addition for the Lakers going forward.

Now this would make some headlines. Not only has D Rose played with LeBron before, but he's currently putting up over 15 PPG and six assists a night for a pretty bad Detroit Pistons team. Rose is also playing on a fairly cheap deal, so it woudln't be much of an investment for the Lakers to add the former MVP.

Andre Iguodala's name has probably been the most mentioned in trade rumors this entire season. The former Warriors forward is currently on the Memphis Grizzlies, but hasn't been with the team while they try and trade him. The Lakers have long been rumored as a potential landing spot for Iggy, but would probably prefer he gets bought out, which means they could just sighn him outright. It doesn't appear that Memphis has any intention of buying Iggy out, so the Lakers might just need to make an offer.