Lakers could swap homegrown star for $160 million wing, 2-time All-Defensive Team guard

The Los Angeles Lakers managed to come away with just one playoff victory after trading for ex-Dallas Mavericks superstar Luka Dončić prior to the Feb. 6 mid-season trade deadline.

Los Angeles could have used another athletic wing outside of Rui Hachimura to assist the slow-footed Dončić with his defensive assignments on the perimeter, and it's plausible that the franchise's general manager Rob Pelinka could use the coming offseason as a chance to provide both Dončić and the 40-year-old LeBron James with a few versatile wings.

With the trade market set to heat up shortly after the Memphis Grizzlies and Orlando Magic came to an agreement on a deal centered around Desmond Bane on Sunday, Pelinka could figure that it's time to shop the team's rising star Austin Reaves for help around the margins.

In fact, the franchise's top brass could entertain the idea of contacting the Portland Trail Blazers to hammer out the details on a monster trade that would see the Lakers net Portland's star two-way forward Jerami Grant and 2-time All-Defensive Team selection Matisse Thybulle in exchange for Reaves.

In order for a hypothetical deal of this nature to grow any legs, the Lakers would have to pair their 27-year-old guard with Gabe Vincent, Maxi Kleber and Shake Milton to even things out financially.

Though he's coming off of a disappointing season, Grant is an exceptional talent at the forward position that could assist James and Dončić on their quest to compete for a title in 2025-26. 

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In 2024-25, the athletic 6-foot-7 wing contributed just 14.4 points and shot 37.3% from the field, but it could be attributed to injury and a general lack of hope for the Trail Blazers' season. Portland finished with a 36-46 regular season record, and Grant appeared in only 47 contests after dealing with recurring ankle and knee ailments.

While his latest campaign was certainly rough, he's still a career 36.4% three-point shooter and has proven to be a solid defender when engaged on that end of the floor, making him a potential target for Los Angeles. 

As for Thybulle, the former No. 20 overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft by the Philadelphia 76ers has developed into one of the best pure defenders in the entire NBA, when healthy. Unfortunately, he played just 15 games in 2024-25 prior to suffering a severe ankle sprain. 

On the bright side, those 15 contests were arguably the best of his career, as he averaged 7.5 points, 2.2 steals, knocked down a blistering 43.8% of his attempts from distance and compiled a sensational 5.1 defensive box plus-minus. 

Though it might look like an intriguing deal on paper, it's unlikely that the Lakers choose to swap Reaves out to take on Grant's gargantuan five-year, $160 million contract which runs through 2027-28 if Grant chooses to accept a $36.4 million player option.

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