A Lakers-Wizards trade to secure long overdue LeBron James reunion

The Los Angeles Lakers achieved a remarkable stasis this offseason, doing as little as possible to improve the West's most flawed "contender." LeBron James and Anthony Davis can only carry you so far at this point, but the Lakers' front office appears committed to testing the patience of that fanbase.

JJ Redick was the flashiest and least qualified name on the head coaching market, so of course that's where the Lakers went. Dalton Knecht was a nice pickup through the draft, but counting on a rookie to reinvigorate your veteran rotation is often a fool's errand. The Lakers need a lot more than Knecht Four can offer.

Bronny James was a nice headlines ploy, but he is unplayable right now. He is going to spend his rookie season in the G League and probably suffer under the weight of expectations more than any second-round pick... ever? It's just not great.

The Lakers let free agency pass by without a serious addition and kept their trade assets to themselves. Rob Pelinka is coasting on his reputation at this point. What is that reputation, you may ask? It beats me, but Kobe Bryant's former agent appears entrenched in this role for better and for worse. Mostly for worse.

At some point, LeBron is going to put enough pressure on the front office that a move is made. One obvious trade partner would be the Washington Wizards, a rebuilding team with a ton of movable vets on affordable contracts.

As for who the Lakers might pinpoint as a target, why not a familiar face? Kyle Kuzma always felt like he belonged in the City of Angels.

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Lakers-Wizards trade to reunite Kyle Kuzma and LeBron James in Los Angeles

This could require more draft capital on the Lakers' end to grease the wheels, but adding Kyle Kuzma and Corey Kispert would be a huge deal. Whatever your feelings may be on Kuzma, he's a talented secondary scorer who would add a new dynamic to the Lakers starting lineup. He's a more refined version of Rui Hachimura, and should look much better in a more refined, supplementary role. His efficiency was always going to crumble under the burden of featured duties in Washington.

As for Kispert, he might end up being the most impactful player dealt to LA. It's easy to fly under the radar in DC, but Kispert is a deadeye 3-point shooter with enough physicality to hold up on the defensive end. In many ways the perfect Gonzaga product, Kispert understands his role on an elemental level. He processes the floor quickly, moves off the ball, and makes sure to accentuate those around him. Putting him in a winning situation should illuminate just how good he is.

The Wizards aren't going home empty-handed in exchange for two prime role players, though. This is a two-pronged reunion, with Rui Hachimura returning to where it all started. He hit 42.2 percent of his 3s last season and has become much more effective at leveraging his physicality for buckets around the rim. Defense and general decision-making remain a work in progress, but Hachimura is no longer the hypothetical contributor Washington once traded for Kuzma. He's an established rotation piece.

Jarred Vanderbilt has dealt with his share of injuries in recent years, but he's one of the most voracious perimeter defenders in the NBA at full strength. He's on a tradable contract and should provide some much-needed defensive backbone to a young, flimsy Wizards roster in the meantime.

Maxwell Lewis was a second-round pick to LA in the 2023 draft. He's mostly a throw-in for salary purposes, but the Wizards should not be opposed to taking a flier on a 6-foot-7 wing with Lewis' ball-handling chops and shot-making flashes. He very much aligns with the identity of Alex Sarr, Bub Carrington, Kyshawn George, and Washington's new young core.

That 2031 first-round pick from the Lakers, either lightly protected or unprotected, carries significant upside. LeBron (and in all likelihood, AD) won't be around when that conveys. The Lakers can also trade their 2029 first-round pick. Pelinka has been reluctant to shell out his limited assets, but the prospect of adding two immediate contributors and fleshing out the depth chart around LeBron could force him into action eventually.