Los Angeles Lakers v Denver Nuggets - Game Five
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The Los Angeles Lakers made one major trade earlier this offseason. Do they have one more blockbuster in them?
Yes, the Lakers have gotten younger. And yes, they have greatly improved their depth on paper. But what they don’t have is someone they can count on to deliver 33 minutes, a handful of points and rebounds and all the little-big winning plays as the starting power forward.
Denver Nuggets star Aaron Gordon would be the perfect addition to the Lakers. A trade may be a long shot for the Lakers, but with the Nuggets drowning in the second apron, Gordon is certainly not off limits in trade talks.
In this proposed four-team trade, the Lakers would land the veteran forward from the Nuggets while also making a few other roster changes. Here is the hypothetical framework.
Lakers receive: Aaron Gordon, a 2030 second round pick (from LAC, via TOR) and a 2033 second round pick (from MIL, via MIA)
Nuggets receive: Myles Turner, a 2031 second round pick and a 2032 second round pick (from LAL, via WAS)
Bucks receive: Jarred Vanderbilt and Jake LaRavia
Clippers receive: Jaden Hardy and Bronny James
Why the Lakers Would Make This Trade
Denver Nuggets v Los Angeles LakersDenver Nuggets v Los Angeles Lakers
GettyLOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – MARCH 14: Aaron Gordon #32 of the Denver Nuggets dribbles during the second half of a game against the Los Angeles Lakers at Crypto.com Arena on March 14, 2026 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)
If Gordon comes back as the Gordon from three or four years ago next season, the Lakers would be adding a superstar in his own right.
Gordon, 30, is coming off a season in which he averaged 16.2 points, 5.8 rebounds and 2.7 assists while shooting 49.7 percent from the field and 38.9 percent from the 3-point. Those numbers are flattering, but here’s the problem: he played just 36 regular season games. And that was after Gordon was banged up in the 2025 playoffs … and before he was hurt again in the 2026 playoffs.
When healthy, Gordon’s value and fit next to Nikola Jokic made him arguably the most important piece to the Nuggets’ success outside of their three-time league MVP. In the 2023 Western Conference finals against L.A. Gordon averaged 12.8 points, 4.0 rebounds and 3.5 assists while shooting 54.1 percent from the field. He was the boss of the defensive sequence that ended Los Angeles’ final possession in Game 4, denying LeBron James at the buzzer and sending the Lakers home in a sweep.
Gordon is set to make roughly $32 million next season, with three years remaining on his deal. The Lakers would take on about $5.3 million more in salary, but the trade would still leave them in a similar financial position to where they are right now because of the other outgoing salaries in this framework.
Would Denver Pull the Trigger?
There might not be any other option.
Denver just watched Peyton Watson leave for Cleveland in a five-team sign-and-trade that brought the Nuggets a 2031 unprotected first round pick and a 2032 second round pick.
Out went Watson — the 23-year-old who averaged 14.6 points and 4.9 rebounds last season — to Cleveland, where he’ll play on a four-year, $88 million deal.
Denver would send out Gordon’s roughly $32 million salary and receive Turner at about $26.6 million, dropping the team’s payroll by approximately $5.4 million.
Turner, 30, averaged 11.9 points, 5.3 rebounds and 1.6 blocks in 71 games for Milwaukee last season while shooting 38.3 percent from the 3-point line. Turner helped guide the Indiana Pacers to the 2025 NBA Finals averaged nearly 14 points along with two blocks per game throughout the tournament. In his prime, Turner would be a heck of a Gordon replacement for the Nuggets.
Denver could use Turner as a floor-spacing big while next to Jokic. Turner can also generate his own scoring opportunities and catch lobs at the basket. Defensively, the big man finished in the top 10 in the NBA in total blocks and blocks per game in nine consecutive seasons before last season.
For L.A., Gordon would be a rather high-risk/high-reward pick up. If he stays available, the Lakers could rise into the same category as the top contenders in the NBA. If not, they could be left with a major hole to fill and fewer resources to fill it.
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