According to rival scouts and executives, the Lakers' Best Asset (minus Reaves) is their 2031 first-round draft pick, second-year wing Dalton Knecht and a bunch of expired contracts. Some combinations of them are necessary in any transaction made by a team at the center. Free agency choices (such as seasonal trade choices) are considered very lean. Indiana center Myles Turner will be a free agent, but he is already out of the Lakers' price range before the Pacers currently enter the Eastern Conference Finals. Brook Lopez, 37, has been working with the Lakers for a year before leaving to play the best basketball elsewhere. Clint Capela may be the choice for market reactions, but the league has had questions in the league about whether he is still a full-time starter. – Los Angeles Times/May 16, 2025
