The Los Angeles Lakers expect to contend for an NBA championship as long as LeBron James and Anthony Davis are healthy and on the roster. While that is the expectation, the Lakers fell to the Denver Nuggets in the opening round of last year’s playoffs which highlighted their need for roster changes.

As they enter the 2024-25 NBA season, the Lakers did not add another star-level player like many thought they would. This will make trade rumors even stronger throughout the season, especially if the Lakers struggle.

In a recent article, Bleacher Report’s Grant Hughes proposed three top trade targets for every team, naming Denver Nuggets champion Michael Porter Jr. as a potential option for the Lakers.

Via Hughes: “Another pricey shooter, MPJ comes at about a $7 million discount in 2024-25 salary compared to LaVine but also has another two costly years left on his deal. Porter Jr., like LaVine, comes with major health concerns. But he played 81 games in 2023-24, is a better shooter (career 41.0 percent from beyond the arc) and uses his 6’10” size to provide more defensive help than the Bulls guard.”

Porter has had some big performances against the Lakers in recent years, so they are very familiar with what he is capable of.

Denver has not given any indication they are looking to move Porter, but the Lakers would be an interesting landing spot if he were to become available.

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