NBA Trade Deadline 2018: 5 deals Lakers fans will be rooting for

The Lakers aren’t going to make the playoffs, and they’ve yet to win a game that Lonzo Ball didn’t play in. That means it’s time to start preparing for the 2018-19 season, and it starts at the trade deadline.

The Los Angeles Lakers haven’t been shy about their plans to bring in a big name free agent (or two) for next season. This team right now is extremely young, and unfortunately is having to learn things on the fly. The fact that they have to take these lessons on the chin means they’re essentially set up for failure.

Their saving grace and biggest selling point to any potential free agent next summer is Lonzo Ball. The Lakers have not won a single game that he did not play in, and when he doesn’t play they get ran off the floor.

We all know that the Lakers have made Julius Randle, Larry Nance Jr. and Jordan Clarkson available for a trade. Julius Randle works well with Ball, but they may not have a choice because those three guys are the only people on the roster actually worth moving outside of Brandon Ingram and Ball.

Trading Clarkson is the quickest path to a big name free agent. He’s making almost $12 million for the next three years, and dumping him would free up a ton of cap space for next summer. Randle and Nance could net them some respectable picks. If Lakers fans want to get back in the playoffs they need to be open to any and all trade options.

Here’s five trades that Lakers fans will and should be rooting for when the trade deadline comes around.