Rob Pelinka
Getty
Lakers General Manager Rob Pelinka in April 2025
As the February 5 trade deadline approaches, the Los Angeles Lakers continue to be linked with a broad group of wing players as they search for perimeter upgrades.
Adding help on the wing has long been viewed as a priority for general manager Rob Pelinka.
Names such as Herb Jones, Trey Murphy III, Jonathan Kuminga, Miles Bridges, Andrew Wiggins, Saddiq Bey, and Naji Marshall have surfaced in recent trade conversations.
However, two players previously mentioned as potential targets, De’Andre Hunter and Keon Ellis, came off the board over the weekend following a multi-team deal between the Cleveland Cavaliers and Sacramento Kings.
Lakers Turn to Alternative Wing Options
NBA insiders Marc Stein and Jake Fischer claim that the Lakers’ interest in Hunter may have been overstated, even if early-stage discussions did occur.
Even so, Los Angeles continues to comb through a thin wing market, and Bleacher Report’s Dan Favale recently introduced another possible option.
“Dean Wade isn’t going to land team president Rob Pelinka another extension, but when healthy, he’s the exact type of two-way combo forward for which this roster is starved,” Favale wrote. “Though the Cleveland Cavaliers don’t profile as sellers, a wholly uninspiring season might have them chasing a smaller luxury-tax bill.”
Through 42 games this season, Wade is averaging 5.8 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 1.5 assists in 22.9 minutes per game, while shooting 41.7% from the field and 34% from three-point range.
At 6-foot-9, Wade fits the physical profile the Lakers have been searching for. He offers size on the wing, reliable spacing, and enough defensive versatility to hold up across multiple matchups.
“Upgrading the defense remains the principal priority. The Lakers must be careful how they go about it,” Favale added. “They have a roster teeming with one-way players. Any defense-first bodies they go after shouldn’t be threats to undermine the scoring attack.”
Contract Fit and Trade Hurdles
Wade is in the final year of a three-year, $18.5 million contract and is earning $6.6 million this season, making him a low-cost, expiring option.
That profile aligns with the Lakers’ reported reluctance to take on long-term salary beyond this season.
As has been widely reported, Los Angeles is building potential deals around its expiring contracts of Rui Hachimura ($18.2 million), Gabe Vincent ($11.5 million), and Maxi Kleber ($11 million), along with second-year guard Dalton Knecht.
The challenge, however, is that those assets have reportedly generated limited interest around the league, while the Lakers also control just one tradable first-round pick.
NBA reporter Jake Weinbach recently noted that Los Angeles has struggled to meet the asking prices for several of its preferred wing targets as the deadline nears.
“Other prominent trade targets for the Lakers include Dallas’ Naji Marshall, New Orleans’ Herb Jones, and Miami’s Andrew Wiggins, but Los Angeles has been unable to meet the asking price for any of these valued wings up to this point,” Weinbach wrote on X.
That assessment mirrors reports that the Golden State Warriors have turned away Lakers inquiries involving Jonathan Kuminga, viewing the proposed packages as insufficient.
ESPN’s Dave McMenamin has also claimed that Los Angeles is exploring the possibility of flipping either its 2031 or 2032 first-round pick for multiple future selections, adding that a quiet deadline would represent a “major miss” for the franchise.
With options narrowing and time running short, the Lakers may soon be forced to decide whether a smaller, pragmatic move is enough to support a late-season push.