The 2022-23 season turned around for the Los Angeles Lakers thanks, in large part, to the trades they made during the campaign. The likes of Rui Hachimura and Jarred Vanderbilt made big contributions for them but not all of those moves really worked out.
Malik Beasley and Mo Bamba failed to make much of an impact and they might not be on the team for much longer. The Athletic’s Jovan Buha reports that one of them or even both could be shipped out along with the 17th pick of the 2023 Draft.
“There’s also the growing possibility that they can make a move at the 2023 draft, flipping their pick (No. 17), along with Bamba and/or Beasley for a starting-level upgrade,” Buha wrote.
Beasley struggled in the playoffs but did have solid averages of 11.1 PPG, 3.3 RPG, 1.2 APG, and 0.8 SPG in the regular season for the Lakers. He has a team option worth $16.5 million for next season which can be used to match salaries in any potential trade.
Bamba, meanwhile, was injured for much of his time with the Lakers, and his salary for 2023-24 stands at $10.3 million, but it is non-guaranteed. A rebuilding team could be willing to take one or both of them along with the pick for a solid starting-caliber player.
The Lakers Are Not In A Position To Go After Big Names In The 2023 Offseason
This potential trade might be the only relatively big one the Lakers make this summer. They have been linked with some big names like Kyrie Irving and Damian Lillard but insider Adrian Wojnarowski states they aren’t in a position to pursue big stars because of the new CBA.
Teams with three max players wouldn’t have any kind of depth whatsoever and as we saw in these playoffs, it is quite important to have it. A trade like this one for a starting caliber player and signing someone like Chris Paul, who they have a strong interest in, are really the only avenues for the Lakers to improve their roster from last season.
