The Los Angeles Lakers must think outside the box if they want to be among the teams that strengthen their roster before Thursday’s trade deadline.
With three of their ideal trade targets being unavailable (Keon Ellis- traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers, De’Andre Hunter- traded to the Sacramento Kings, and Herb Jones- not on the market), unexpected assets will likely emerge as trade options for Los Angeles.
Heavy’s Evan Massey believes that a ‘sleeper’ Golden State Warriors guard could quickly land on the Lakers’ radar.
“One potential sleeper target for Los Angeles could be Golden State Warriors veteran guard Buddy Hield,” Massey wrote Sunday. “At 33 years old, Hield has fallen out of the Warriors’ rotation this season.”
“He has played in 43 games and made three starts, but has averaged just 17.2 minutes per appearance. During those games, Hield has averaged eight points per game to go along with 2.4 rebounds, 1.5 assists, and 0.8 steals. Hield has also shot 43.6 percent from the floor and 35.1 percent from three-point range.”
“Over the years, Hield has been one of the NBA’s most prolific three-point shooters. Adding more shooting to the roster around Luka Doncic and LeBron James would make a lot of sense. Hield wouldn’t be an expensive option either.”
When Hield is in a zone, he can be a dangerous perimeter shooting threat capable of setting the nets on fire. The former Philadelphia 76ers guard has been erratic for most of the 2025-26 campaign, but was highly productive with the Dubs in January.
Hield connected on 41.4% of his triples last month after shooting 35.7% from deep in December.
The two-time three-point contest champion wouldn’t be a bad option for the Lakers to consider as a last-second trade option.
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