Los Angeles Lakers Trade Idea to Land a New Dream Target

The Los Angeles Lakers (6-2) have gotten off to a strong start to the 2026-27 season, but clear weaknesses remain.

Behind starting center Walker Kessler, the team has questionable depth, with Jarred Vanderbilt recently displacing Kevon Looney as head coach JJ Redick's primary backup. Sandro Mamukelashvili fills a need as an offensive option, but the Lakers aren't exactly deep at his natural power forward position.

Before the season began, B/R ranked L.A.'s top trade targets , mainly to add needed size to the roster.

A recent disagreement between Charlotte Hornets head coach Charles Lee and big man Naz Reid should pique the Lakers' interest.

Trade season doesn't really kick in until Dec. 15 and runs through the Feb. 11 deadline. If Reid and the Hornets consistently aren't on the same page, add him to the Lakers' wish list.

The Los Angeles Lakers receive: Naz Reid, Tidjane Salaün

The Charlotte Hornets receive: Cameron Carr, Adou Thiero, Jarred Vanderbilt, Jaden Hardy, $23.3 million trade exception (Naz Reid), 2032 first-round pick swap, 2033 second-round pick

The Lakers' biggest acquisition this offseason was the Walker Kessler sign-and-trade, which sent nearly all their remaining future draft compensation to the Utah Jazz to make the deal.

The front office built around the Luka Dončić-Austin Reaves-Kessler trio as well as it could, but the Lakers' lack of bench depth has already been exposed. If the Hornets were willing to take L.A.'s package for Reid, the Lakers would jump at the opportunity—even giving up two young prospects they value highly in Carr and Thiero.

Reid would presumably start at power forward, then rotate to center when Kessler sits. The Lakers don't improve defensively, but they add high-end depth, and Reid is a significant offensive upgrade. Vanderbilt has played a role in recent games with Ziaire Williams nursing a foot injury but hadn't been a rotation staple during Redick's reign.

Salaün, in his third season, has yet to pop. The Hornets declined his fourth-year $10.4 million option, making him an unrestricted free agent in July 2027.

The trade would need to wait until close to the deadline to allow the Lakers to return to the required 14 players. Los Angeles would acquire Reid via the expanded traded player exception of Vanderbilt and Hardy; Salaün works similarly for Carr and Thiero. The timing to replenish the roster would be simpler if they found a taker for Looney (or Bronny James) without salary coming back. If so, L.A. could sign three prorated minimum players (to the maximum 15) while staying below its $209 million first-apron hard cap.

At this early stage of the season, the Hornets wouldn't seriously consider this Lakers offer.

L.A. would need the disconnect between Lee and Reid to become untenable. Reid was benched for the second half of Charlotte's 97-89 loss to the Detroit Pistons on Oct. 28.

"Unfortunately, Naz didn't meet our standards in the first half and at halftime we made the decision that he wouldn't play in the second half," Lee told reporters after the game . "But I look forward to him meeting those standards come next game."

Should Reid, who is owed $80.2 million over the next three years (player option before final season), become a liability for the Hornets, the Lakers would still need to have the best offer.

Given L.A.'s lack of first-round picks and the early-season injuries to Carr and Thiero, Los Angeles would need the market for Reid to be soft. Carr, the No. 24 pick in the June draft, was a summer-league standout who played respectably through the preseason. Similarly, Thiero has significant potential but has struggled to stay healthy.

The Lakers would need to showcase the pair successfully to build their value before Charlotte even considered a deal. The Hornets would try to get the Lakers to include their two future second-rounders via the Washington Wizards (2031 and 2032), which shouldn't be a deal-breaker for L.A.

Charlotte has already tipped its hand on Salaün by declining his option. Roster space remains an issue. The Hornets would either need to cut two players (presumably one would be Liam McNeely) before the deal with the Lakers or rope in a third team to take in McNeely and Hardy.

The Hornets would take Vanderbilt for Salaün, absorbing the other incoming Lakers into preexisting trade exceptions (Collin Sexton, Dorian Finney-Smith, and Mason Plumlee). This allows the team to generate the large exception for Reid.

Add Reid to the Lakers' list, but for the Hornets, it's a deal they make only right before the deadline, in the absence of better offers, assuming Reid proves to be miscast on the team's roster.

Email Eric Pincus at eric.pincus@gmail.com and follow him on X @EricPincus .

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