The Los Angeles Lakers are likely one or two moves away from being serious contenders in the Western Conference. While the duo of LeBron James and Anthony Davis always has the potential to make noise, they are coming off a first round exit that showed a real need for roster upgrades.

The NBA offseason can always produce unexpected moves, as was recently seen with Karl-Anthony Towns getting traded to the New York Knicks. Jovan Buha of The Athletic stated on his podcast earlier this offseason that Washington Wizards center Jonas Valanciunas is a player on James’ list of preferred targets for the Lakers.

“There was some interest,” Buha said of the Lakers and Valanciunas. “He was on LeBron’s list, so I think the Lakers will probably revisit that.”

In a recent article, Bleacher Report’s Eric Pincus proposed a major blockbuster trade that lands the Lakers the talented center.

Los Angeles Lakers receive: Malcolm Brogdon (from Wizards), Jonas Valančiūnas (from Wizards), Jevon Carter (from Bulls)

Washington Wizards receive: D’Angelo Russell (from Lakers), Gabe Vincent (from Lakers), Jalen Hood-Schifino (from Lakers), Christian Wood (from Lakers), Cam Reddish (from Lakers), 2029 first-rounder (top-five-protected), $9.9 million trade exception (Jonas Valančiūnas), $5.3 million trade exception (Johnny Davis), $3.8 million trade exception (Malcolm Brogdon)

Chicago Bulls receive: Johnny Davis (from Wizards), Patrick Baldwin Jr. (from Wizards), $1.2 million trade exception (Jevon Carter)

Bleacher Report detailed who is going where in this scenario, including the trade exceptions and where they come from. As the breakdown shows, the Lakers land Valančiūnas, Brogdon, and Carter.

Both Chicago and Washington are amid rebuilds, which makes them ideal trade partners for a team like the Lakers.

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