NBA Trade Rumors: Lakers Land Premium Bench Scorer and Strong Point of Attack Defender by Dealing Gabe Vincent, Maxi Kleber in Mock Proposal

There have not been any major moves so far this NBA trade season, but fans are already firing off trade concepts. One Lakers fan on X floated a mock deal that would bring two players to LA, including a familiar face, in what essentially amounts to a salary-clearing move.

X user @_RobAnthony suggested a hypothetical trade between the Lakers and Sacramento Kings that would send Malik Monk, Keon Ellis and a Kings 2027 second-round pick to LA, with Gabe Vincent and Maxi Kleber heading to Sacramento.

Sacramento is reportedly open to moving Monk with its backcourt already crowded with scorers, and while Vincent is also a guard, his expiring deal would give the Kings flexibility by clearing cap space for next season.

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Kleber would also address a need for Sacramento, as the team’s frontcourt depth has been tested by the injury to Domantas Sabonis.

Monk has a track record as a reliable scorer. During the 2021-22 season with the Lakers, he split time between the starting lineup and the bench, averaging 13.8 points, 3.4 rebounds and 2.9 assists per game.

This season, his fourth with the Kings, Monk is putting up 12.1 ppg, his lowest output since his time with the Lakers, while playing 22.5 minutes per night.

Ellis, meanwhile, is known as a strong point-of-attack defender and could slide seamlessly into the Lakers’ rotation, especially with LA struggling defensively after posting the league’s second-worst defensive rating in December.

Lakers not expected to stand pat in trade season

The LA Lakers stunned the NBA last season by pulling off the blockbuster Anthony Davis-for-Luka Doncic trade. While a move of that magnitude is unlikely this year, an insider believes the team will still be active.

Lakers insider Jovan Buha said the franchise is expected to rework its roster through multiple transactions.

“I think maybe they do a couple moves and that reshapes the roster with two or three new players,” Buha said on SiriusXM NBA Radio (per Heavy).

Buha pointed to 3-and-D wings as likely targets for the Lakers, naming Herb Jones, Andrew Wiggins, Keon Ellis and Ayo Dosunmu as potential fits.

Possible trade assets for Los Angeles include Gabe Vincent, Jarred Vanderbilt and Dalton Knecht, while the only future first-round picks available to include in a deal would be their 2031 or 2032 selections.

Edited by John Ezekiel Hirro