Lakers, Lakers trade, NBA trade deadline, Herb Jones
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Lakers head coach JJ Redick, left, and Rob Pelinka, President of Basketball Operations and General Manager, arrive for press conference to discuss Lakers 2025-26 season at the UCLA Health Training Center in El Segundo on September 25, 2025.
The Los Angeles Lakers have reportedly re-engaged the New Orleans on a possible trade for All-Defensive wing Herbert Jones.
According to insider Evan Sidery, the Detroit Pistons and Indiana Pacers have also expressed strong interest in Jones, one of the best perimeter defenders in the NBA.
“Teams continue to call the Pelicans on All-Defense wing Herb Jones during trade season,” Sidery reported on X.
“The Lakers, Pacers and Pistons are among the teams who have recently checked in on Jones. It would take a significant package of assets for New Orleans to even consider moving Jones.”
Further to Sidery’s point, several insiders have previously reported that the Pelicans are seeking two unprotected first-round picks and a young rotational player for Jones.
Lakers Trade Target: Herbert Jones
The Lakers, who own only one tradeable first-round pick, technically can’t match the Pelicans’ reported asking price. But that hasn’t stopped the franchise from making repeated inquiries about Jones. Per multiple insiders, the Lakers first checked about Jones in early December, nearly a month before he even became trade-eligible.
To that end, The Athletic’s Dan Woike reported earlier that no player has been linked more to the Lakers by rival scouts and executives than Jones, with buzz around the 3-and-D wing and the Lakers dating back to the start of training camp. And as the season progressed, the Lakers, who rank 25th in defensive rating, became more aggressive in pursuing wing defenders such as Jones to fix their biggest issue: perimeter defense.
Lakers Trade Deadline Plans
Besides Herbert Jones, the Lakers have reportedly expressed interest in Miami Heat’s Andrew Wiggins, Pelicans’ Yves Missi, Dallas Mavericks‘ Daniel Gafford, Brooklyn Nets’ Nic Claxton, Sacramento Kings’ Keon Ellis and Charlotte Hornets‘ Miles Bridges.
ESPN’s Dave McMenamin has also floated names such as Denver Nuggets‘ Peyton Watson and Cleveland Cavaliers’ De’Andre Hunter as possible Lakers trade targets. Some have also floated Golden State Warriors‘ Jonathan Kuminga as a target.
The Lakers can offer the expiring contracts of Rui Hachimura, Gabe Vincent, Maxi Kleber and second-year wing Dalton Knecht in potential trades, to go with their only tradeable first-round pick in 2031 or 2032. Alas, players such as Hachimura and Knecht have reportedly not garnered much interest around the league, while their only trade asset is not up for grabs unless a blockbuster trade is in the works.
The Athletic’s Dan Woike explained earlier this month that the Lakers are unlikely to part with their first-rounder due to their ambitious plans for the 2026 offseason, when Giannis Antetokounmpo could become available.
“If we’re speaking in a technical sense, the Lakers’ 2032 first-round pick is probably their most valuable trade asset,” Woike wrote.
“However, trading that pick would lock the team’s ability to trade the 2031 pick now and the 2033 pick this summer. So, yeah, the 2032 pick probably isn’t going anywhere.”
If the Lakers part with their first-rounder before the Feb. 5 NBA trade deadline, they’d have very limited draft assets to use in a major deal over the summer.