The Los Angeles Lakers are flirting with the idea of being a championship contender in 2025-26. One more trade could firmly catapult them into that territory.
Rob Pelinka has managed to quietly maneuver and patch up the Lakers' lackluster depth from last season. The Lakers front office executive managed to secure DeAndre Ayton, Marcus Smart, Jake LaRavia, and Adou Thiero, without giving up any significant trade chips in the 2025 offseason.
Despite the fine-tuning, two needs in the rotation still stand out as areas which could benefit from an upgrade. The Lakers could use a better backup center than Jaxson Hayes. They also need an insurance policy for Smart. The following trade idea addresses both of those concerns.
Miami Heat move on from dead weight
This one is pretty easy to justify for the Miami Heat, right? With Terry Rozier being investigated by federal prosecutors, Pat Riley should be jumping at any idea to offload the veteran guard.
Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald recently noted, "The Heat remains open to trading guard Terry Rozier ahead of the start of this upcoming season, according to multiple league sources."
Miami, for their troubles, get a proven contributor who has worked in their system before with Gabe Vincent. They also get to capitalize on Dalton Knecht's declining trade value. Maxi Kleber is a nice throw-in as well that more than makes this deal worthwhile.
Portland Trail Blazers get compensated for their troubles
Taking on Rozier amid the off-court troubles would be daunting, in theory. However, the 31-year-old only has one year remaining on his current deal. Freeing up $26.6 million after 2025-26 should be celebrated as a win for the Portland Trail Blazers.
For them, it does not make much of a difference if Rozier plays or not. They are looking towards the future in Portland. In the process of absorbing his salary, the Blazers get draft capital to entice them to do this deal.
The exact number of picks needed here can certainly be open for debate. Other than that, the Blazers should feel more than comfortable with the maneuver.
Los Angeles Lakers round out the rotation
The Lakers walk away from this trade feeling awfully good about their championship hopes. Their 2025-26 rotation gets two ready-made contributors who can help Luka Doncic and LeBron James secure banner number 18 in Los Angeles.
Robert Williams III is exactly the type of player who can catch lobs offensively while holding the fort on the defensive end. Matisse Thybulle can slot into any lineup as a feisty 3-and-D option. Both players present some health risks, but the reward outweighs the risk.
The best part of this deal? The Lakers get to maintain their financial flexibility, with both players on one-year deals.
The Lakers struggled to field more than five reliable players against the Minnesota Timberwolves in their first-round burnout. This deal would allow Los Angeles to enjoy the type of roster depth unseen since the 2020 championship team.