Rob Pelinka, JJ Redick, Lakers
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General Manager Rob Pelinka of the Los Angeles Lakers speaks with the media during a press conference.
The Los Angeles Lakers continue to scour the NBA trade market for a 3-and-D wing who can stabilize their rotation and elevate their championship ceiling. But as the Feb. 5 trade deadline approaches, the league’s marketplace is proving far less forgiving than the Lakers might prefer.
According to multiple reports, the Lakers’ pursuit of a starting-caliber wing defender has stalled not because of a lack of effort — but because of a lack of leverage.
Lakers Trade Assets Limit Pursuit of Impact Wings
The Athletic’s Dan Woike recently outlined the central obstacle facing the franchise.
“Potential trade partners want young players and picks in deals, and L.A.’s young players don’t have value,” Woike wrote. “That leaves them with one first-round pick to dangle.”
That lone tradable first-round pick — in either 2031 or 2032 — is the Lakers’ most valuable asset, and the front office has shown no appetite for using it lightly.
Woike added that if the Lakers do move that pick, it will be for a difference-making starter rather than a bench upgrade. That conservative stance has limited L.A.’s flexibility in negotiations, especially in a market where teams increasingly demand premium packages even for non-All-Stars.
Andrew Wiggins, Herb Jones Trade Talks Go Nowhere
Lakers surprise trade target emerges ahead of trade deadline
GettyLos Angeles Lakers star LeBron James attacks as New Orleans Pelicans‘ Herb Jones defends.
The Lakers have explored a number of wing options over the past several months, including Miami’s Andrew Wiggins, New Orleans’ Herb Jones and Golden State’s Jonathan Kuminga.
None of those discussions has produced traction.
In the offseason, the Heat sought more than just Rui Hachimura in a potential Wiggins deal, according to ClutchPoints’ Anthony Irwin — a price the Lakers declined to meet.
Jones represents an even steeper climb.
“Let’s start by talking about Jones, a player who so obviously would help the Lakers that it makes sense that they’ve checked on his availability,” Woike wrote. “Guess what? So have a bunch of other teams. And whether it’s posturing or genuine, the Pelicans have shown no interest in trading Jones for anything less than a Desmond Bane-level haul.”
That reference is telling.
Herb Jones Price Set by Desmond Bane Blockbuster
In June 2025, the Memphis Grizzlies traded Bane to the Orlando Magic in a blockbuster deal in June 2025, sending the sharpshooting guard to Orlando in exchange for Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Cole Anthony, four unprotected first-round picks, and a future first-round pick swap.
That deal reset the market for elite two-way perimeter players — and effectively priced the Lakers out of the Jones conversation.
Without multiple premium picks or blue-chip young players, the Lakers cannot credibly approach New Orleans at that level.
Jonathan Kuminga Requires Three-Team Solution
Jonathan Kuminga, Golden State Warriors, Jimmy Butler, Tim Hardaway
GettyJonathan Kuminga of the Golden State Warriors drives against Luka Doncic of the Los Angeles Lakers.
Golden State’s Kuminga may be more attainable — but only structurally, not directly.
NBA insider Jake Fischer reported that the Lakers’ interest in Kuminga is real, ongoing and increasingly constrained by the Warriors’ demands.
“The Lakers are continuing to look at all options on the 3-and-D wing market right now, and they’re not finding many,” Fischer said on Bleacher Report’s Insider Notebook. “So, of course, Jonathan Kuminga is on their list. But I think for either team to get him, they’re going to need to find some type of three-team arrangement.”
That’s because Golden State has been explicit about what it does not want.
“Golden State has made it very clear they have no interest in [Sacramento’s] Malik Monk,” Fischer said. “And I don’t think the Warriors want to move Kuminga for some combination of Gabe Vincent, Jarred Vanderbilt and Maxi Kleber.”
The Warriors are also reluctant to absorb long-term salary or downgrade rotation quality during Stephen Curry’s remaining championship window.
That impasse is why a third team is likely necessary — one capable of supplying either the draft capital or the high-end rotation player Golden State seeks, while absorbing the Lakers’ less desirable contracts.
Trade Market Reality Leaves Lakers in Holding Pattern
For now, the Lakers are left waiting.
They have identified their need. They have canvassed the market. But they simply lack the currency required to execute a deal without jeopardizing their long-term future.
Unless a seller softens its demands or a third team emerges with the right combination of assets and motivation, the Lakers’ search for a 3-and-D wing may remain unresolved — not for lack of ambition, but because of a league economy that increasingly favors the patient and the powerful.
In this trade season, the Lakers are neither.