3 best trade pieces the Lakers might actually have a shot at

If the Los Angeles Lakers were anybody but the Los Angeles Lakers, they'd have some really difficult decisions to make. At 12-10, they're in the mix in the Western Conference standings, but a near-total lack of defense, an inability to win away from home and a concerning proclivity for getting blown out all adds up to equal a team that appears to be more pretender than contender.

Most teams without true championship aspirations would likely have to weigh the pros and cons of blowing it all up to look to the future vs. doubling down to squeeze every last drop out of this season, but the Lakers are not most teams. When LeBron James is on your roster, rebuilding is not an option, so there's no doubt that the Lakers will plow ahead this season with the intention of trying to win.

That means that LeBron and Anthony Davis will remain the centerpieces of the team, but the players around them are very much at risk of being moved. Under general manager Rob Pelinka, the Lakers have not been afraid to make moves at the trade deadline. This year figures to be no different.

Whether pushing all of your chips into the middle with a mediocre hand is advisable is a question for another time. What we can be sure of is that the Lakers will be active in the coming months. The only question is, how high will they aim? There are many ways to skin a cat, and though L.A. could decide to pursue minor deals on the periphery of the roster, who are we fooling? This is a star-driven team in a star-driven town. If Pelinka has the opportunity to go big to bring in a third star to complement LeBron and Davis, he will.

Today we're looking at who the Lakers might actually have a chance to land. Pelinka can put together a package of D'Angelo Russell, Austin Reaves and Rui Hachimura to match nearly any returning contract, but as much as Lakers fans would like to see Giannis Antetokounmpo or Luka Doncic in purple and gold, in reality that's not going to happen, at least not this year.

Here are three big-name players that might be available if the price was right.

Zach LaVine, Chicago Bulls

There are three areas where the Lakers need serious help — they need more shooting, better defense and more athleticism. Zach LaVine may not be much of a defender, but when healthy, he can be counted on to fulfill the other two requirements.

LaVine has been available for what seems like years thanks to his onerous contract and his inability to stay on the court. This has been a prove-it kind of season for the shooting guard, though, and to his credit, he's looked the part of someone that can help a contender.

LaVine is a career 38.5 percent shooter from deep, and he's been even better this year at 42.5 percent. He also still has the athleticism to get to the basket and finish, despite requiring surgery for a Jones fracture in his foot in February.

LaVine has played in 20 of Chicago's 23 games, and he's averaging over 33 minutes per contest. While his injury history could give Pelinka pause, his ability to stretch the floor and fill up the scoring sheet might be too much for the Lakers to ignore.

Even with LaVine's strong play, the 10-13 Bulls, as they always seem to be in recent years, appear destined for the play-in game. One of these days they'll make the smart move of tearing it all down, and with Cooper Flagg looming as the prize to a lucky lottery team, what better year than this to make it happen?

LaVine played his college ball at UCLA, so a Hollywood homecoming would make a lot of sense.

Brandon Ingram, New Orleans Pelicans

It would be a bit ironic for the Lakers to reacquire Brandon Ingram from the Pelicans after trading him for Anthony Davis five years ago, but the move could make sense for both teams.

New Orleans had playoff hopes entering the season, but they're now destined for the lottery after the injury bug wrecked the beginning of their season. The Pelicans are just 5-18 with no hope of getting back to contention, even if Zion Williamson can return soon from his hamstring injury, which doesn't seem to be a good bet anyway.

Sometimes you need to embrace the tank, and Brandon Ingram is the most likely player of value to be moved before the deadline. As far as the Lakers are concerned, Ingram has some positive things going for him that would make him an intriguing fit.

For one, he's already familiar with the Lakers, and proved he could play under the bright lights of L.A. He's currently averaging 23.2 points and 5.8 rebounds per game, and his 5.3 assists are a great number for a forward that could really work in JJ Redick's system.

In Ingram's last 10 games, he's averaging over 45 percent from three. That kind of range would space the floor for LeBron and Davis. Ingram is also more than capable of getting a bucket one-on-one, which would help lessen the burden on L.A.'s current two stars to do pretty much everything themselves.

Jimmy Butler, Miami Heat

Even the most diehard Lakers fan would admit that the Lakers are not a tough team right now. Mentally, they seem to check out whenever they face a big deficit, which is why we've seen some laughably lopsided scores this season. The defense, especially in transition, is atrocious, and the team doesn't rebound all that well, either. You can't hang in the West if you're soft, and the Lakers are looking like those Squishmallows that my kids love so much.

There aren't many players in the league that are tougher than Jimmy Butler. Anyone that has paid any amount of attention to the NBA in the last decade knows it, and the Lakers got a firsthand look when he willed the Heat to six games against L.A. in the bubble Finals of 2020.

Every team that Butler has played on has either been tougher because of him, or has sent him packing because he's worn out his welcome when other players couldn't match his intensity. In all cases, Butler has been proven right in hindsight.

Butler has been great on the Heat, but Miami's window of being able to contend for a title appear shut. The team is only 10-10 in a weak Eastern Conference (even after blasting the Lakers by 41 points on Wednesday), and team president Pat Riley is not known for being OK with mediocrity.

Trading the 35-year-old Butler so that Miami could pivot to a new era would fit Riley's MO, while at the same time giving the Lakers the kick in the ass that they really need right now.