It is becoming crystal clear that the Los Angeles Lakers, as presently constituted, just don’t have enough perimeter defense to seriously contend for this season’s NBA championship. While they have a very strong 19-9 record, their defensive holes are starting to get fully exposed by the rest of the league, and that has resulted in five losses in their last nine games.

A number of trade targets for the Lakers have been mentioned, including Herbert Jones and Trey Murphy III of the New Orleans Pelicans, Keon Ellis of the Sacramento Kings and the Los Angeles Clippers‘ Derrick Jones Jr. According to NBA insider Brett Siegel, a new name can be added to that list: Cleveland Cavaliers forward De’Andre Hunter.

“Outside of their core, De’Andre Hunter’s future has suddenly become a key talking point regarding potential changes the Cavs will explore. Hunter was recently taken out of the starting lineup by head coach Kenny Atkinson, and his $23.3 million contract for this season gives this team a path to making a change as a second-apron organization.

“… Should Hunter hit the trade block and the Cavs want to unload his salary, keep an eye on teams like the Golden State Warriors, Miami Heat, Los Angeles Lakers, and Dallas Mavericks — all of whom are in need of more help on the wing.”

Hunter is 6-foot-7 and 221 pounds and has a 7-foot-2 wingspan. When he came into the NBA as the No. 4 pick in the 2019 draft, he was compared to OG Anunoby, and after he had a strong preseason game a couple of months ago, teammate Larry Nance Jr. even compared him to Kawhi Leonard, the six-time All-Star and two-time NBA Finals MVP.

The 28-year-old is averaging 15.3 points, 4.2 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 0.7 steals a game this season. He’s shooting just 31.1% from 3-point range, but he was at 40.5% from that distance last season and 38.5% the season prior to that.

If the Lakers are willing to give up a future first-round draft pick in order to acquire a non-star, perhaps Hunter could be had. After all, the Cavs, who were picked by many to win the Eastern Conference when this season started, are a disappointing 17-14 and sit in seventh place in the East right now.