The Los Angeles Lakers may have improved their roster so far this offseason, but they still need one or two more pieces in order to become legitimate championship contenders by the time the new season starts.
Their biggest need is a two-way wing who can effectively neutralize opposing stars on the defensive end. They had such a player this past season in Dorian Finney-Smith, but he left in free agency to join the Houston Rockets, and it is unknown if Jake LaRavia, who is essentially his replacement, can fully replicate Finney-Smith’s defensive prowess.
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NBA insider Brett Siegel was asked on X (formerly Twitter), “What’s going on with the Lakers?” and he responded by saying the team is “actively” seeking a wing who is a strong defender and that he expects the team to trade for one by the end of this month.
The one such wing whose name has come up in trade rumors for L.A. is Andrew Wiggins of the Miami Heat. The Heat have reportedly had a high asking price for Wiggins, which caused talks to stall, but one other insider reported that the Lakers will restart those trade talks soon.
This article originally appeared on LeBron Wire: Insider expects Lakers to trade for a defensive wing by end of July