Everyone knows that just a few days ago, the Lakers completed a super heavyweight trade. They reached an agreement with the Nets, sending Russell, Lewis, and three second-round picks to the Nets in exchange for Finney-Smith and Milton. This trade was like giving the Lakers a shot of super-strong stimulant, infusing them with confidence. Why? Because the team acquired Smith, such an awesome wing 3D player, and Milton is also a strong rotation player on the perimeter. Looking at it this way, the Lakers really made a big profit.
Don't think that after completing this trade, the Lakers will stop before the trade deadline this year. Pelinka's mentality this season seems to be ready to go all out, determined to dispel the gloom of the past few seasons with no harvest. Some fans are wondering if the Lakers make another big trade, will they still have enough chips? After all, there are only so many players on the team who can play, and if a few more are sent away, the depth of the lineup will definitely take a hit.
You know what? The Lakers have some pretty key chips in their hands, most of which come from the draft picks they own. As American media has tallied up, the Lakers have quite a lot of draft picks available for trading, enough to facilitate a super heavyweight deal. Lakers general manager Pelinka is very confident about making another big trade. Moreover, American media believes that the Lakers will definitely show great aggressiveness before the trade deadline.
According to Lakers beat reporter Jovan Buha, the Lakers are very patient when it comes to trading. They plan to wait until closer to the trade deadline to use their first-round draft picks (they currently have first-round picks in 2029 and 2031), because by then, they will have a clearer picture of the team's lineup.
According to sources from the team and the league, the Lakers have no intention of stopping after welcoming Finney-Smith. Before the trade deadline on February 6th, they will continue to look for opportunities to strengthen their lineup in the trade market. However, for now, they are calculating whether Finney-Smith can smoothly integrate into the team family, hoping that the injured frontcourt players (Hayes, Vanderbilt, and Wood) can return quickly, and then closely monitor the team's lineup to evaluate it well.
Besides the first-round draft pick "treasure," I also have three special "swap treasures" that will shine in 2026, 2028, and 2030, allowing for draft pick swaps. Moreover, I have two second-round draft picks that can be used for trading, impressive, right!
Look, that's a total of seven assets related to draft picks, including two first-round draft picks, plus three draft picks that can be swapped, and two second-round draft picks. For many teams, this is like a super tempting big cake. However, if the Lakers were to trade all seven draft picks, they would definitely need to get an All-Star level player in return. Will the Lakers make bigger moves? I'm looking forward to it before the trade deadline arrives!