After starting a red-hot 3-0, the Los Angeles Lakers have lost four of their last five games and are now sitting at .500. JJ Redick appears to have fallen victim to the same pitfalls that got Darvin Ham last season, and barring a trade, the Lakers seem destined for the Play-In Tournament.

Los Angeles has suffered on defense, especially with Anthony Davis hurt, and has been linked to some solid centers, including Walker Kessler and Nikola Vučević. However, adding another paint presence will not help the fact that they allow their opponents to have their way on offense from the perimeter.

According to recent reports, the Lakers may have outlined a very clear area of need on the trade market. 

“They are 28th in defense so far, and you can’t be a competitive team and be that bad on defense,” said NBA Insider Brian Windhorst on ESPN. “Their problem is they don’t have perimeter defenders.”

The Lakers could target Jimmy Butler, who is one of the best perimeter defenders in the league, or they could go for a cheaper, more likely candidate. Kris Dunn, Jarace Walker and Dorian Finney-Smith are all cheaper options, although they don’t have the same scoring punch as an All-Star player would have.

With five first-round picks to trade or swap and matching salary in D’Angelo Russell, all signs point to the Lakers looking to make a splash before the deadline, although how drastic it is will remain to be seen. 

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