The Los Angeles Lakers know that they need to improve the roster if they want to win an NBA Championship. LeBron James and Anthony Davis can’t do it all alone. Despite a 10-4 start, the Lakers have been just 4-8 since. They need some help in order to get back to their winning ways.

Getting some rest after the NBA Cup break will certainly help them. They are a team that cherishes rest, especially when two of their best players are injury-prone. The Lakers still need to be able to increase their ceiling. That can be done by executing some trades.

Los Angeles has four contracts that are very movable because of their size. D’Angelo Russell, Jared Vanderbilt, Gabe Vincent, and Rui Hachimura all have mid-size contracts. Those can be very valuable in acquiring other players. One trade proposal would really help the Lakers this season and beyond.

Still, not all trades need to be centered around those four players. There can be workable trades made that include other players if draft compensation is added. That’s the case in this one particular trade proposal that would give the Lakers more depth.

In this trade proposal, the Lakers deal with the Utah Jazz to help get some things done. Here is the proposal:

Jazz receive: D’Angelo Russell, Jalen Hood-Schifino, Christian Wood, a 2029 first-round draft pick, protections off a 2027 first-round draft pick, and a 2025 second-round draft pick.

Lakers receive: Collin Sexton and Walker Kessler

This trade would give the depth that Los Angeles needs at the guard spot. Sexton is a good enough scorer and playmaker that he could slide into the starting lineup now that Russell is coming off the bench. He’s not a complete sieve on defense like Russell, too.

Getting Kessler would allow Davis to move back to the power forward spot that he has loved playing at for most of his career. Kessler is also one of the best rim protectors in the NBA, so moving Davis off a center wouldn’t compromise rim protection. It would also give the Lakers perhaps the best defensive frontcourt in the league.

For the Utah side of it, they need to rebuild. They have won just five games and need to tear it down. Those two first-round draft picks would be very valuable to any team who can get their hands on it. This would be a fair trade for both sides.

The Lakers definitely need to do something. The problem for them is that the price of doing business is going to be higher for them than it would other teams around the Western Conference.