The Lakers, who have missed the playoffs, need to upgrade the team lineup as much as possible in this offseason, after all, after the failure of the regular season stage of the 2021-22 season, the Lakers management needs to avoid the team's mistakes as much as possible.
It's just that at present, this Lakers are still facing the contract problem of Westbrook, and they do not have enough assets to promote other blockbuster transactions, which is why it is not difficult for the Lakers to improve the lineup in this offseason.
However, the suggestion given by the US media Kenneth Tip is that the Lakers can target the Pacers' Malcolm Brogdon, and propose the following two trading proposals:
Scenario 1:
The Lakers get: Malcolm Brogdon
The Pacers get: Tarron Horton Tucker, Kendrick Nunn, 2023 second-round picks (from the Bulls), 2024 second-round picks (from the Wizards or Grizzlies), other salary match players
Scenario two:
The Lakers got: Malcolm Brogdon, Buddy Hield
Pacers get: Russell Westbrook, 2023 second-round picks, 2027 first-round picks (top 5 picks protected)
Both of the above deals can allow the Lakers to push forward the deal involving Brogdon at the expense of a certain chip, but the biggest difference between the two deals is whether the Lakers can get rid of Westbrook's contract while pushing the deal.
The first option is for the Lakers to directly trade Brogdon in the case of Tucker and Nine, of course, this also requires the Lakers to sacrifice two second-round draft picks, but this is still an acceptable plan for the Lakers.
The second option is for the Lakers to get back to Brogdon and Hield in the case of getting rid of Westbrook's contract, and it needs to be clear that both are players that the Lakers hope to get, but this deal requires the Lakers to send out future first-round draft picks. Truth be told, if the Lakers still want to build a lineup around James and Davis, then sacrificing a first-round pick and a second-round pick to get these two tough guys back would be a very ideal choice for the team.