The Los Angeles Lakers are navigating the early portion of the 2025-26 season well.
The franchise has dealt with several injuries to key players, but is impressively off to a 16-6 start.
Still, though, a Lakers journalist believes the organization’s star point guard, Luka Doncic, is forcing Rob Pelinka and the Lakers to make a roster-bolstering trade before the Feb. 5 deadline.
“Luka Doncic is forcing the Lakers to trade for a 3-and-D wing,” Lake Show Life’s Tyler Watts wrote Sunday.
“Dorian Finney-Smith played a crucial role for the franchise last season, but LA let him walk in free agency. Jake LaRavia hasn't earned as starter's minutes, and Marcus Smart can’t stay healthy. The Lakers are still searching for their Finney-Smith replacement. It is the one thing they are definitely missing.”
“Fans have heard the Andrew Wiggins rumors. That is the type of player that Pelinka and the franchise should be targeting. Ideally, they shoot around 40 percent from three-point range and play stout defense across multiple positions.”
Wiggins is undoubtedly the ideal replacement for Finney-Smith in Los Angeles.
The former Golden State Warriors forward worked hard to change the narrative surrounding his perimeter shooting following his trade from the Minnesota Timberwolves to the Dubs in 2020 (he never shot above 35.6% from deep during his 5.5-year stint with Minnesota).
In the end, it all paid off for the former lottery pick, as he not only proved he could be an above-average threat from beyond the arc, but also take on challenging defensive assignments nightly.
Wiggins, who won a championship with the Dubs in 2022, averaged 17.6 points on 44.4% field goal shooting and 37.9% three-point shooting during his final 43 games in the Bay (Golden State traded him to the Miami Heat for Jimmy Butler in February).
It’s reasonable to assume Doncic would marvel at the opportunity to play with a battle-tested and accomplished veteran wing like Wiggins, making a potential trade worthwhile.
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