On the day of the 2024 trade deadline, the trade market has, as expected, flared up following weeks of stasis. Like the previous several weeks, there have been several noteworthy transactions made early in the morning in which the Los Angeles Lakers have not been involved.
It does not mean, however, that the Lakers will not make any moves; by the time you read this, they may have completed a deal. Unfortunately, Los Angeles lost out on a trade target that would have been ideal to match with Anthony Davis since the Lakers were not part of the initial wave of deals.
In exchange for Ochai Agbaji and Kelly Olynyk, the Toronto Raptors sent Kira Lewis, Otto Porter Jr., and a first-round selection in 2024 to the Utah Jazz. The Raptors did not seem to be a team that made sense for Olynyk, thus this trade surprised the NBA community. For the big man, a club like the Lakers made a lot more sense.
Still, there was hope that Toronto was trading Agbaji for him and that this would just turn into a buyout. However, it is also untrue. Toronto may choose to re-sign Olynyk in free agency this summer in addition to keeping him for the remainder of the season.
Just landed in TO. Have to say this is a nice deal for Toronto, imo. Have heard Raptors have intentions to sign KO (pending FA), and fits w a strategy to gather players who see Toronto as a first choice. Raptors add two quality rotation players w/o touching current rotation. https://t.co/aZdHpvWhDd
— Michael Grange (@michaelgrange) February 8, 2024
Kelly Olynyk is completely off the table for the Lakers
Kelly Olynyk was not going to be the difference between making the NBA Finals and falling short in the second round but he would have been a great fit in the frontcourt alongside AD. The Lakers need a big who can space the floor on the offensive end without giving too much up on the defensive end.
Christian Wood can space the floor but he is awful defensively and that limits his playing time. Jaxson Hayes can defend the rim but he isn’t a real contributor on offense, which limits his ceiling. Olynyk could have been a blend of the two, offering floor spacing on one end and serviceable rim protection on the other.
At the very least, the Lakers can know that they didn’t lose out on Olynyk to a cheap price. It would be frustrating if the cost was a second-round pick but the Raptors traded a first. Granted, that first was the Oklahoma City Thunder which will be in the high 20s in a bad draft class, but still. The Lakers were never going to match that value.
Alas, the Lakers may have to pivot and consider other options before the clock strikes midnight (noon Pacific, to be specific) on the trade deadline.
