Whether LeBron likes it or not, it takes at least two willing teams to make a trade in the NBA.
There are real reasons Cleveland, Dallas or Atlanta wouldn't be willing to part with their All-Star guards. In each case, there's a pretty good chance some other team could top L.A.'s offer, too.
If the Lakers are rebuffed by all three but still feel close enough to justify a move to supplement James and Davis, there are other potential targets who could push the team a little closer to contention.
And they wouldn't cost L.A. quite as much.
Jerami Grant is averaging 21.9 points and 2.1 threes, while shooting 40.5 percent from three this season. He doesn't offer a ton of ancillary contributions (at least on the stat sheet), but that kind of volume shooting could create some space for the LeBron-AD pick-and-roll.
Another Portland Trail Blazer, Malcolm Brogdon, is currently operating as a solid mentor for Scoot Henderson, but he doesn't fit that team's rebuilding timeline. And his career 39.1 three-point percentage could come in handy for the Lakers.
Young's teammate, Murray, was a target this deadline, according to Buha. He makes about half of what Young does in 2024-25. And when motivated, he's certainly the better defender of the two.
Things are going well for the Golden State Warriors right now, but like Atlanta, they're at real risk of missing the playoffs. If that happens, perhaps something as dramatic as a Draymond Green trade would be on the table.
Former Laker Kyle Kuzma could make some sense as well. Like Grant and Brogdon with Portland, he's on a rebuilding team that needs to spread minutes among younger players. He won a title with LeBron and has become a reliable 20-point-per-game scorer since they separated.
All of the above could be had with Russell and/or Hachimura's salaries and one or two picks.
And though their arrivals in L.A. wouldn't be as glamorous as those of any of the aforementioned star guards, the Lakers just might not have the trade fodder necessary to do something that glamorous.
