The Los Angeles Lakers have officially been knocked out of the NBA Cup, with Luka Dončić and company falling to the San Antonio Spurs in convincing fashion in the quarterfinals at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles on Wednesday night.

As a result of the disappointing loss to the Spurs, the Lakers’ flaws on the defensive end of the basketball floor came to light once again. Even though JJ Redick’s squad is among the elite teams in the league offensively, the team’s Achilles’ heel appears to be its defense, which the front office will likely try to address ahead of the NBA trade deadline.

One potential trade target that could give the team a considerable defensive boost is veteran forward Herb Jones of the New Orleans Pelicans, who some have speculated could be available due to the team possibly being ready to overhaul its roster before February’s trade deadline.

Lakers Insider Downplays Chances of Trading for Herb Jones

Although Jones would be the ideal addition for the Lakers, as he checks all the boxes as a player who can stretch the floor and be a lockdown defender, the Pelicans may not want to move him in a trade, according to Dan Woike of The Athletic.

The Lakers defensive issues cost them again. Herb Jones, a natural target, isn’t really available. So how do they get better? On the big questions facing a team that’s 10 games over .500 https://t.co/Efyku98v0D

— Dan Woike (@DanWoikeSports) December 11, 2025

“While Lakers fans can fantasize about some all-out liquidation of the three-win Pelicans’ roster, team and league sources tell The Athletic that New Orleans is not interested in moving Jones. And considering what LA would have to offer in a deal, expiring contracts and a single first-round pick, the Pelicans almost certainly wouldn’t engage at that price point.”

With the buzzer sounding on the NBA trade deadline on Feb. 5, anything can change from now until then. The Pelicans’ brass could have a change of heart, opening the door for the Lakers to make a move for Jones, who signed a three-year, $67,580,892 contract in the offseason.

However, in the meantime, the Lakers brass may need to pivot in another direction if they are determined to upgrade their roster on the defensive end of the floor in hopes of getting closer to being able to compete with Western Conference heavyweights like the defending NBA champion Oklahoma City Thunder and Nikola Jokić’s Denver Nuggets.

It’ll be interesting to see how the trade market comes together in January and whether other options around the league begin to present themselves to the Lakers.

It’s not beyond the realm of possibility that the Lakers try to swing big for a second straight year by targeting superstar big man Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks. It seems like a stretch that Los Angeles would be able to put together an intriguing trade package for the Bucks, but then again, after shocking the league by trading for Dončić, it seems like anything is possible in the NBA these days.