3 trade targets the Lakers have to stay away from

They say that you should never go grocery shopping when you're hungry. If that's true, then the Los Angeles Lakers should be very careful with trade season rolling around, because as their recent skid has shown, this roster is famished.

There are so many names currently swirling around the NBA trade rumor mill, and for a team that has lost seven of their last 10 games, every single one of them could look like the missing piece if general manager Rob Pelinka squints hard enough. For a thirsty man wandering the desert, even a Julius Randle-shaped cactus can look like an oasis.

It's imperative that Pelinka acts wisely in the coming months. The Lakers' championship window may well be closed already, but if it's not, it's only open a crack. Trading away assets for the wrong player could have far-reaching consequences.

There have been voices in sports media that have advocated for the Lakers to slam the reset button by trading away LeBron James and/or Anthony Davis. Honestly, that might be the smartest basketball move, one that could pave the way for L.A. to rebuild and create a better future for itself. We all know, though, that that isn't the way the Lakers have ever done business. Ever since Jerry Buss took over, this has been a star-driven franchise that makes big moves. Cutesy rebuilds and war chests of draft picks are not The Lakers Way. The Lakers will live by their stars, and they'll die by their stars, one way or another.

It's clear that the status quo isn't going to get JJ Redick's team anywhere, so it's not a question of if the Lakers will make a move, it's a question of when and for who. There are players out there that can help change the Lakers' flagging fortunes, but for today we're looking at three players that, for various reasons, Pelinka should steer clear of.

1. Walker Kessler

The Lakers have a litany of issues on defense, so trading for a young rim protector with the shot-blocking ability of Walker Kessler makes a lot of sense. Kessler is second in the league in blocks per game, trailing only Victor Wembanyama, and he's doing it for a Jazz team that doesn't seem all that interested in winning.

Kessler is only 23 years old, so you'd think that he would be part of any rebuild that Utah is in the midst of, but his name has been thrown around in trade rumors for a while now, with the Lakers being one of the teams most often connected as a likely suitor for his services.

Kessler would help the Lakers, to be sure. Jazz GM Danny Ainge is said to be looking for at least two first-round picks for his young center, though, and that's a price that's simply too high for what the Lakers can expect from him.

For those that have been submerged in the La Brea Tar Pits, the Lakers are anchored by Anthony Davis. Where does Kessler fit in, then? Twin towers lineups are nearly extinct in today's small-ball, spread-the-court NBA, and you can't mortgage the future for a guy that will only play 15 minutes a game while coming off the bench. This would be like the Knicks trading for a ball-dominant guard. You already have Jalen Brunson. It just doesn't make sense.

2. Trae Young

Speaking of ball-dominant guards, Trae Young has quietly been rumored to be available for a while, but it looks like that ship has sailed. Dejounte Murray was traded to the Pelicans this offseason, and after a slow start, the Hawks have really picked up steam to rise in the Eastern Conference standings. After beating the Knicks in the NBA Cup quarterfinals, they're as hot as nearly any team in the league.

Even if the Hawks decided to pivot away from Young to instead focus on their young, ascendant roster (which might not be the worst idea, by the way), the six-foot-1 guard would only exacerbate the Lakers' problems.

The Lakers have one of the worst defenses in the league, and adding Young would just give opposing offenses one more player to target. The idea of adding his passing ability (he does currently lead the league in assists) to a team that already has LeBron and Austin Reaves is enticing, as is the prospect of lessening LeBron's playmaking workload, but it's not like the Lakers are a bad passing team to begin with. They currently rank 12th in the league in assists, which is pretty solid.

Young definitely plays with the kind of panache that Lakers fans love. This is a larger-than-life franchise that embraces big personalities, and in that respect, Young fits the bill. His shooting is down this year, though, as he's only 30.8 percent from outside, and his reputation as a shooter throughout his career has outpaced his actual production anyway. Young was billed as the second coming of Steph Curry, but when it comes to three-point shooting, he's nowhere near the Warriors' superstar.

The Lakers wouldn't be worse with Young than they are now. They'd be different, but I just don't think they'd be better. Having to package something like Reaves, Rui Hachimura and D'Angelo Russell together to acquire Young would have the trickle-down effect of giving more minutes to guys further down L.A.'s bench, and in case you haven't noticed, most of those players, like Gabe Vincent and Max Christie, have been struggling in comparatively minimal roles already.

3. CJ McCollum

It wouldn't be trade season without CJ McCollum's name coming up. The former Lehigh Mountain Hawk has long been a quality shooting guard, but it seems that his teams are always on the lookout for an upgrade.

This year, McCollum is on a Pelicans team that has been absolutely ravaged by injuries. The Pels came into the season with playoff hopes, but the continually depleted roster is mired in last place of the Western Conference with a record of 5-21. That means it's tanking season, baby, so expect McCollum, Brandon Ingram, and others to be moved.

Nearly every player on the Pelicans has been injured at some point this year, and McCollum is no different. He missed 13 games with a right adductor strain in November, but he's looked good since coming back. Still, he doesn't bring much to the table that the Lakers can't already get from Austin Reaves, and his salary is triple what Reaves' is.

Reaves is a bad defender, but McCollum has never been known for his work on that end, either. Their rebounding averages are similar, while Reaves averages one more assist per game. McCollum is averaging more points per game, but that's because he's had to carry a bigger load with Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram on the shelf. Reaves is shooting it better from three this year, as McCollum is more than six percentage points under is career mark.

Reaves would likely have to be included in any package for McCollum, but if the Lakers were somehow able to have them both, their already dreadful defense would suffer even more.

If the Lakers are going to make a trade, they need someone that is an elite shooter, an elite defender, or both. Basktball-wise and salary cap-wise, McCollum just doesn't fit the bill.