Peyton Watson
Getty
Peyton Watson during a game against the Houston Rockets in November 2025
As the February 5 trade deadline approaches, the Los Angeles Lakers have long been tipped to be searching for wing upgrades to round out the roster.
Adding a young, dependable 3-and-D option has been viewed as a clear priority for general manager Rob Pelinka, with a steady stream of names linked to Los Angeles in recent weeks.
Herb Jones, Trey Murphy III, Jonathan Kuminga, Miles Bridges, Andrew Wiggins, Saddiq Bey, Naji Marshall, De’Andre Hunter, and Keon Ellis have all surfaced in varying degrees of trade chatter.
Hunter and Ellis were recently both taken off the board after being moved in the same multi-team deal between the Cleveland Cavaliers and Sacramento Kings, further narrowing the Lakers’ options with only days remaining until the deadline.
Lakers Facing Shrinking Wing Market
Los Angeles continues to sift through what has become a thin wing market, while also dealing with limited interest in its own trade assets.
Complicating matters further, the Lakers currently control just one tradable first-round pick.
As has been widely reported, the front office has been structuring potential deals around expiring contracts, Rui Hachimura ($18.2 million), Gabe Vincent ($11.5 million), and Maxi Kleber ($11 million), along with second-year guard Dalton Knecht.
Even so, those pieces have yet to generate meaningful traction around the league.
NBA insider Jake Fischer believes the Lakers’ failed pursuit of Ellis is a “further indicator” that Pelinka is not operating aggressively enough to land preferred targets before the deadline.
Instead, Fischer suggests Los Angeles is prioritizing long-term flexibility over short-term upgrades.
That approach is tied to the Lakers’ projected cap outlook. According to Spotrac’s Keith Smith, Los Angeles could have more than $55 million in available cap space this summer, a figure the organization appears reluctant to compromise.
“The Lakers do not want to just trade for a guy like De’Andre Hunter, who’s got future salary,” Fischer said during a livestream on Monday. “They do not just want to add a Michael Porter Jr., who’s got future salary and also pay draft capital to make that happen.”
“I think the Lakers are going to be more patient, look more on the edges, and find something that would help them improve without really sending out too much of a major haul.”
Looking Beyond the Deadline
Bleacher Report’s Dan Favale has urged the Lakers to explore low-cost additions such as Cavaliers wing Dean Wade and Portland Trail Blazers center Robert Williams III.
Still, signs continue to point towards Pelinka keeping his focus on the offseason rather than forcing a deadline move.
“The Lakers want to prioritize their cap space flexibility for this summer, where there will be young wings like Peyton Watson, Bennedict Mathurin, Tari Eason from Houston—other potential opportunities to add on the wing in between Luka Doncic, Austin Reaves and Deandre Ayton,” Fischer added.
Watson, Mathurin, and Eason are all slated to be restricted free agents this summer, meaning their current teams would have the right to match any offer sheets. As a result, their availability is far from guaranteed.
Watson, in particular, would represent a significant get. The Denver Nuggets wing is enjoying a career-best season, averaging 21.9 points, 5.5 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 1.0 steal, and 1.5 blocks while shooting 46.5% from three-point range throughout January.
The Lakers sit sixth in a crowded Western Conference at 29-19, level with the Phoenix Suns in seventh and firmly within the play-in mix.
Wing help remains a clear need if Los Angeles hopes to maximize the current window alongside Luka Doncic and LeBron James.
Even so, it remains increasingly plausible that Pelinka opts for restraint at the deadline, or makes only a marginal move, before shifting his full attention to a more flexible and potentially impactful summer.