The Los Angeles Lakers are 4-6 in their last ten games and have fallen out of the playoff picture and into the NBA Play-In Tournament. There’s a lot of basketball left, but Los Angeles ranks 27th in both offensive and defensive rating over their last 10 games, so their initial priorities on the trade market may have shifted.

Earlier in the season, when the Lakers looked like legitimate championship contenders, they were linked to depth pieces mostly to shore up their frontcourt defense. Considering that the Lakers ranked 20th in 3-point percentage and 27th in attempts, adding a volume scorer in the backcourt could become a viable target instead of backup centers. 

For much of the season, the Lakers have been linked to the Washington Wizards, with Kyle Kuzma and Jonas Valančiūnas seen as realistic targets. However, given the Lakers’ recent slide, adding a combo guard who is averaging 20 points, five assists and 1.8 steals while shooting a career-high 40.6% from 3-point range doesn’t sound that bad. With expiring contracts to match money, the Lakers could target Jordan Poole. 

In Poole’s first season in Washington last year, he was an incredibly inefficient volume scorer. This year, he looks to be much improved and would benefit quite a lot from playing next to LeBron James, Anthony Davis and Austin Reaves. During his tenure with the Golden State Warriors, his best season came in 2021-22, when he played as the third option behind Stephen Curry and Andrew Wiggins and won a title.

Poole has proven to be incapable of leading a team with any degree of success, but he has a solid track record as the third option on offense. Playing next to Reaves and James, Poole wouldn’t have to orchestrate the offense and could instead be a bucket-getter. 

At this point in the season, there is no indication that the Wizards are eager to trade him, but the Lakers could offer D’Angelo Russell and Christian Wood, who are on expiring contracts, as well as Jarred Vanderbilt and an unprotected first-round pick, giving the Wizards added cap flexibility and draft capital as they continue their rebuild. 

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