Los Angeles Lakers Trade Rumors: 3 players the Lakers need to trade this summer

After a bitterly disappointing 18/19 season, the Los Angeles Lakers are looking towards a summer of major change. The addition of LeBron James proved to be insufficient in ending the team's playoff drought, and the legendary franchise has now been absent from the postseason for six consecutive years.

However, in an attempt to change their fortune, the Lakers are known to be targeting a number of the NBA's top free-agents such as Kyrie Irving and Kawhi Leonard. However, if the Lakers miss out on their free agent targets, the team's talent pool to include in trade talks is extremely shallow.

Heading into the current season, Magic Johnson opted to fill out the roster with one-year deals for veterans, and due to this, the team has been left with few trade assets.

This will make it difficult for the Lakers to complete a trade for someone such as Anthony Davis, however, here we will look at three players that should be included in other trade talks.

#3 Josh Hart

Josh Hart started the season in fine form, however, since the turn of the year, his levels of performance have nosedived. Playing major minutes alongside LeBron James, Hart was one of the LA's main men before Christmas, making a positive at both ends of the court. His form was so impressive that the Lakers refused to use the 24-year-old in trade talks for Trevor Ariza, although the Villanova product soon lost both his form and confidence.

Hart's accuracy from beyond the arc has fallen from 39% to just 33%, whereas the guard continues to struggle scoring inside the paint. His defensive work remains solid, although with Hart now spending 24 months in the league, it looks increasingly unlikely that he will become one of the NBA's best two-way players. A trade may seem harsh, however, the Lakers simply don't have many assets, and it looks to be a necessary sacrifice.

#2 Moritz Wagner

Golden State Warriors v Los Angeles Lakers

Due to Los Angeles' elimination from playoff contention, Moritz Wagner has played good minutes down the stretch of the season. The German has averaged more than 20 minutes per game over the last month, although, despite his extended play time, the big has yet to suggest that he can transform into a future star.

Despite his 6 foot-11 frame, Wagner has been poor on defense, grabbing just 1.6 boards per game, while also struggling to guard the post against the NBA's more dominant bigs. Wagner has also had shooting difficulties, connecting with just 41% of his attempts from the field, and only 30% from deep.

When compared to the recently traded Ivaca Zubac, Wagner looks to be a considerable step backward, and with the Lakers likely to sign two senior centers this summer, his chances of getting game time next season look slim.

#1 Kyle Kuzma

Cleveland Cavaliers v Los Angeles Lakers

Kyle Kuzma was the Lakers' most impressive young player during the 17/18 campaign, and while he has performed reasonably well into his second season, he has failed to really kick on as expected.

When compared to his debut year, Kuzma's shooting stats have improved slightly, and due to his ability to score with ease, there is no doubting that he can average 20 points per game over the course of his career.

However, the power forward remains incredibly inept on the defensive end, and due to his inability to flourish in a catch and shoot role, he appears to be a bad fit alongside LeBron James. There are also concerns that due to entering the league at 22, Kuzma is already close to reaching his ceiling.

With Brandon Ingram and Lonzo Ball both showing considerable improvement over the last 12 months, Kuzma looks to be the fall guy, although there will be no shortage of suitors for his services.

Edited by Sripad