6 non-star trades Lakers can make to contend

Non-star trades Lakers can make to contend No. 6 Bojan Bogdanovic

Bojan Bogdanovic has the misfortune of playing for the Detroit Pistons, but he is exactly the type of player the Lakers need. He’s a 6-foot-7 lethal shooter who is under contract for another season after this. While his numbers are down a bit from last season, his recent track record is unassailably excellent. Since 2018-19, in 361 games, Bogdanovic has averaged 18.9 points per game on 40.3 percent shooting. 

The Lakers are a poor 3-point shooting team and love to be large on defense. Bogdanovic helps solve their 3-point shooting problem and would allow the Lakers to play a jumbo lineup of Austin Reaves, Bogdanovic, LeBron James, Jarred Vanderbilt, and Anthony Davis. 

The Pistons have postured as if they won’t be sellers, but at 3-33 on the season, it would be insane to hold onto the soon-to-be 35-year-old Bogdanovic. Russell would leave the Pistons with a glut of point guards, but he could also play alongside Cade Cunningham and Jaden Ivey, easing their burden. If he performs well, he’ll either opt out of his contract, saving the Pistons money, or they’ll be able to flip him as an expiring contract. 

Cam Reddish is in the deal to make the salary math work, but he still has enough prospect sheen for the Pistons to have some interest in seeing if they can be the organization to tap into his potential. He’s far from an asset, but the Pistons need wings, and he’s a wing with at least a small chance of being a solid starter one day. 

However, the real prize for the Pistons would be getting in on the possibility of a Lakers collapse with a 2030 pick swap. Pick swaps are the mystery box of assets, but the Pistons are so bad right now that they need to buy as many NBA lottery tickets as possible. The Lakers won’t mind surrendering a pick swap because it’ll still leave them with a pick in 2030, and with how poorly the Pistons have been run as of late, there is no guarantee that it’ll convey.