The Lakers, as currently constructed, are a poor defensive team that struggles against younger, more athletic teams. Although Luka Doncic is having a career year and LeBron James and Austin Reaves are turning in All-Star-caliber seasons, Los Angeles is still a step behind the other contending teams around the NBA.

The lack of activity at the trade deadline supports the reporting that the Lakers will look to make their splash in the summer when they’re armed with more tradable draft capital and cap space.

In terms of free agency, there are several 3-and-D wings that could be had and a few of them were named as potential targets, via Dave McMenamin of ESPN:

An unrestricted free agent who has been discussed internally, sources told ESPN, is Andrew Wiggins, but he has a player option with Miami he could exercise. Tobias Harris, Quentin Grimes and Dean Wade are other players who fit that profile.

The Lakers have also privately discussed restricted free agents Tari Eason and Peyton Watson, sources told ESPN, and could land the latter if Denver, which already has $215 million in salary committed to returning players for next season, doesn’t match the offer sheet.

Some of these are names we’ve seen before. Andrew Wiggins was arguably the most popular name linked to the Lakers this past offseason, and he remains an intriguing option. A perimeter defender who can knock down an open 3-pointer and comes with championship experience would be a valuable addition to Los Angeles.

It’s not a foregone conclusion that Wiggins will even be a free agent this summer, however as he has a $30.2 million player option in 2026-27 that he could very well pick up.

The Lakers may also want to target the younger players available in order to match up better with Doncic’s timeline. With that in mind, Tari Eason and Peyton Watson would be excellent targets because of their skillsets and upside. Watson, in particular, seems attainable given his expected price tag and Southern Californian roots.

Attracting a star player to come to L.A. has always been the playbook for the front office, but with Doncic already locked down they need to surround him with complementary pieces. The modern NBA is built around speed, length and athleticism so the purple and gold should be as aggressive as possible for players with those attributes come the summer.

Lakers believe they would be on Giannis Antetokounmpo’s shortlist of trade destinations

With more first round picks to trade, Los Angeles can make a run at nearly any player in the league. The big prize of the summer is Giannis Antetokounmpo, who appears ready to be moved and the Lakers believe they would be on his shortlist of trade destinations should he actually ask out.

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Someone who has emerged into that this year for the Nuggets is Peyton Watson, whom they drafted in 2022 out of UCLA. With the Nuggets dealing with injuries to superstar Nikola Jokic, not to mention other important players like Aaron Gordon and Christian Braun, Watson has stepped up big time to keep them afloat.

But Watson is set to hit free agency for the first time this summer as the fourth-year wing will be a restricted free agent. And according to NBA insider Jake Fischer, the Lakers are expected to have interest in signing him:

It must be said, though, that rival executives are increasingly curious about Denver’s likely struggles to retain Peyton Watson this summer given the fourth-year swingman’s recent breakout play amid all of the Nuggets’ health woes. We’ll certainly be tracking this situation over the coming months, since Watson’s restricted free agency is already shaping up to become a major domino of the offseason.

Sources say teams that are projected to have cap space — notably such as the Lakers — are already preparing interest.

The Lakers having interest makes sense as the team is in the market for two-way wings who can really defend and shoot. Watson has been an excellent defender since he joined the league, but it is his offensive game that has grown as he is averaging more than 14 points per game this season while knocking down 41.1% of his 3-pointers on increased volume.

Watson being a restricted free agent makes things more difficult as the Nuggets would be able to match any offer sheet he signs. But with the Nuggets already already having so much money committed to core players in Jokic, Gordon and Jamal Murray, they may struggle to retain Watson if the Lakers give him a big enough offer sheet.

A Southern California native who attended Long Beach Poly High School and played at UCLA, Watson would be an ideal addition for this Lakers team if they are able to pry him away from the rival Nuggets.

Lakers willing to move Dalton Knecht at trade deadline

The Lakers are also looking to improve their roster ahead of the upcoming NBA trade deadline and the team is reportedly willing to move second-year guard Dalton Knecht in a deal to do so.

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