Lakers Reportedly Have 'Very High Threshold' For Making Any Trades of Substance

“This is an interesting one,” Buha said. “Honestly, if the Lakers are top four in the West, I don’t know if I’d mess with it."

“It would have to be a no-brainer to trade either one of those guys, and I think based on the way that the Lakers have valued both Max and Austin [Reaves] in recent years, going back to the Kyrie [Irving] situation at the 2023 trade deadline, when the Lakers didn’t want to put Austin or Max in a potential trade for Kyrie," Buha noted. "I look at Austin as a guy that (there is a) very high threshold for them to trade, and then I think the same will likely apply to Max and to Dalton."

Reaves, who still presumably has room to grow at age 26, is in the second season of a below-market four-year, $54 million deal he inked with Los Angeles last summer. In 2023-24, the Oklahoma product averaged 15.9 points on .486/.367/.853 shooting splits, 5.5 assists, 4.3 rebounds and 0.8 steals a night, while playing all 82 games (57 starts) for the 47-35 Lakers.

Christie, 21, played sparingly for Los Angeles during his first two pro seasons out of MSU. He has assumed a bigger rotation role this preseason as a reserve, averaging 7.8 points on a middling .367/.278/1.000 slash line, plus 3.5 rebounds, 0.8 assists, 0.8 steals and 0.5 blocks per bout. Knecht, 23, has had a more sizable impact thus far, averaging 13.8 points while slashing .396/.270/.750, along with 3.5 boards, 2.3 dimes, 1.3 swipes and 0.5 rejections a night in his four preseason games.

“So, I think it’s gonna have to be — I don’t wanna say like an All-Star level player because I think’s there’s exceptions — but it would probably have to be that type of guy where the Lakers could cobble together a Vando [Jarred Vanderbilt] or a Gabe [Vincent] or maybe both and then throw in one of the young guys and then a pick or two for that type of no-brainer upgrade,” Buha said. Vanderbilt and Vincent both underwhelmed during their 2023-24 runs with Los Angeles, but are on sizable deals that could help make trades for veterans palatable.