Lakers Trade Rumors: Reviewing Latest Chatter on 2025 NBA Deadline Day

After orchestrating a pair of eye-popping trades over the last week, the Los Angeles Lakers could keep things quiet on NBA trade deadline day.

The front office will surely poke around for potential upgrades between now and the 3 p.m. ET cutoff, but their major moves are already in the books.

Their stunning swap for Luka Dončić will be the biggest of this trade season and might be the biggest shocker in hoops history. But they made another significant move late Wednesday that may have depleted their remaining collection of trade chips.

We'll dig into the details of that deal and the remaining rumblings around the Lakers here.

The Luka Dončić deal—a trade this team makes 12 times out of 10—did wonders for the future of this franchise, but it did leave this roster a bit imbalanced.

The Lakers hope they corrected that problem overnight.

As ESPN's Shams Charania reported late Wednesday, L.A. landed 23-year-old center Mark Williams from the Charlotte Hornets for Dalton Knecht, Cam Reddish, an unprotected 2031 first-round pick and a 2030 pick swap.

The cost is significant, particularly when considering the Lakers are already saddled with multiple draft debts. That's fine if Williams stays upright and helps fill the Anthony Davis-sized hole on the interior, but if injuries get the better of Williams, L.A. can't really trade its way to another solution. He has been limited to just 85 total appearances since being made the 15th pick of the 2022 draft.

If injuries aren't a worry, though, the big man might be exactly what this roster needed. He's a powerful player out of the pick-and-roll and an underrated passer who can make plays on the move. He should be a clean offensive fit for Dončić and LeBron James, not to mention the value he'll provide as a backline defender behind them.

This is an aggressive addition for the Lakers, but the vision is clear to see and the impact could be significant both now and going forward.

Between Knecht and the two first-round picks spent on Dončić and Williams, the Lakers have essentially invested all of their best trade chips. They might still have the proverbial ace in the hole depending on whether they'd deal Austin Reaves, but if he's off-limits, they don't have a blue-chip asset to shop around.

In other words, their major moves are finished.

They could still have some minor tweaks in the works, though.

ESPN's Dave McMenamin noted the Lakers still have a second-round pick they could shop before the deadline and also "opened up a roster spot that will allow them to pursue a player on the buyout market." Per McMenamin, the team might "prioritize playmaking or three-point shooting with Knecht's departure."

Perimeter defense could be another area of focus. On paper, there are no shortage of potential leaks with this perimeter group, which just lost one of its better stoppers with Reddish going out the door.

If the Lakers make another trade for the deadline, it'll be a low-cost, subtle move for a support piece. Those can be helpful to have, though, and L.A. has a few areas which could use a dedicated specialist to improve.