The Lakers don’t have a ton of trade assets to use to make themselves better this summer, with only LeBron James, Anthony Davis, Marc Gasol, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Kyle Kuzma and Alfonzo McKinnie even under contract for next season. The first two are obviously not going anywhere, Gasol may retire, and McKinnie’s deal is only worth $2 million and non-guaranteed, so would mostly just be salary ballast to help a prospective suitor potentially save some money. By virtue of the trade for Davis, the Lakers’ draft pick war chest is also depleted.
That leaves Kuzma and Caldwell-Pope — both making $13 million next season — as the Lakers’ only real trade options to make their roster better and match salary for a significant contributor.