To start the 2024-25 NBA season, the Los Angeles Lakers are 7-4 but have been unable to avoid being included in NBA trade rumors. The Lakers have been linked to some solid centers to help bolster their frontcourt, but their defense as a whole could use some work.

The Lakers are 25th in the NBA in defensive rating and defend the 3-point line with mediocrity. Their scoring, headlined by Anthony Davis, LeBron James and Austin Reaves, has been solid, as they are sixth in offensive rating and points per game, but their second unit especially struggles on defense. 

In an effort to boost their defense on the perimeter, the Lakers could target a player who has been discarded by his team. Orlando Magic guard Cole Anthony is averaging a career-low 11.2 minutes per game amid a breakout season from sophomore Anthony Black, and a change of scenery might do him well. 

Anthony is holding his opponents to a league-average 35.2% shooting from 3-point range but is averaging 2.3 steals per 36 minutes, compared to 1.3 last year. He has started this year in a shooting slump, but he has a proven track record of being a microwave scorer off the bench and being able to hold his own on the defensive side of the ball. He signed a three-year, $39 million extension last October, but his decrease in minutes means Orlando might be interested in trading him.

The Magic could take on D’Angelo Russell’s expiring contract, which would be enough to match Anthony, or they could opt for some depth behind Paolo Banchero, who is currently out with injury, by taking on Rui Hachimura instead. Should Russell be involved in the deal, the Magic would likely demand some sort of draft capital, but they would then have an expiring contract to enter 2025 free agency with some sort of flexibility.

The Lakers, on the other hand, would immediately give their bench a much-needed boost in the backcourt and would still have the draft picks needed to chase a center before the deadline.

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