The Los Angeles Lakers have a critical summer ahead of them. There will be a ton on the Lakers’ plate, and as the NBA season winds down, they will be at the forefront of the offseason.

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The Lakers are a polarizing team, and as always, they are projected to make a significant move to bolster their roster. That will be no different this offseason, as they could be in line to trade for a star big man.

It is clear that the Lakers need to bolster their frontcourt, particularly at the center position. L.A. lacked a solid center after they traded Anthony Davis to the Dallas Mavericks in exchange for Luka Doncic.

While the trade helps them in the long run, it certainly hurt them in the short term. That was evident in the playoffs, but with the season over and the offseason ahead, the Lakers could make a massive trade.

In this hypothetical scenario laid out by NBA writer Greg Swartz of Bleacher Report, the Lakers manage to acquire All-Star forward Lauri Markkanen from the Utah Jazz. Here’s how the proposed deal is structured:

Los Angeles Lakers Receive: F Lauri Markkanen

Utah Jazz Receive: F Rui Hachimura, G/F Dalton Knecht, PG Gabe Vincent, F Maxi Kleber, 2031 first-round pick (unprotected)

“The Lakers will always be on the hunt for stars yet are limited in trade assets after acquiring Luka Dončić at the deadline. Markkanen is probably the best level of player Los Angeles can reasonably acquire and would be a strong third option behind Dončić and LeBron James.

“Adding a 7-footer who can play either forward position and fill short bursts as a stretch-5 gives the Lakers a ton of versatility with their lineups and helps an offense that ranked 12th out of 16 teams this postseason.”

In the scenario, the Lakers lose four key players, but it only costs them one of their two first-round picks available for trade. The first-round pick in this scenario is the 2031 pick, the only one that the Charlotte Hornets offered for Mark Williams before that deal was rescinded.

It is a hefty price still; however, Markkanen could be a player who helps the Lakers on both sides of the ball. While his durability is a question mark, having not played over 60 games in the past two seasons.

Nevertheless, there is no denying his talent, as evidenced by his career scoring average of 18.2 points per game. Markkanen could be the piece to take the Lakers to the next level, and this trade would open up the books for the Lakers to get creative in free agency.

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