Lakers Quietly Made Move for High Upside 3-and-D Guard: Report

The Los Angeles Lakers reportedly reached out to the Sacramento Kings recently about the possibility of trading for Keon Ellis.

According to Forbes’ Evan Sidery,  the Lakers are willing to part with second-year guard Dalton Knecht in a potential move, but could be hesitant to use their only tradeable first-round pick (2031 or 2032) for Ellis.

“The Lakers recently checked in with the Kings on Keon Ellis,” reported Sidery.

“Sacramento is seeking at least a 1st-round pick for Ellis, who is viewed as a well above-average 3-and-D guard. Los Angeles is willing to include Dalton Knecht, but they currently only have one tradable pick in 2031.”

Sidery’s update lines up with an earlier report from The Athletic’s Dan Woike, who claimed that the Kings are seeking a protected first-round pick for Ellis.

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Lakers Trade Target: Keon Ellis

Ellis, a career 41.6% shooter from three, has struggled to find a consistent role with the Kings, especially since Doug Christie succeeded Mike Brown as the head coach. Yet, scouts view him as a high upside player who can help a championship contender with his ability to knock down shots and guard up to three positions.

With a wingspan of 6-foot-9, Ellis has shown the ability to be a quality perimeter defender in his four seasons in Sacramento, despite his limited offensive production.

One NBA GM recently told Heavy Sports’ Sean Deveney that the Lakers aren’t the only team with interest in a Keon Ellis trade.

“At least half the league has asked about him,” the exec said about the Kings guard. “The Lakers tend to get talked about more, but everyone loves him.”

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Lakers Trade Deadline Plans

Ellis, an unrestricted free agent this summer, is almost a lock to be traded by the Kings by the Feb. 5 NBA trade deadline, with Polymarket tabbing him as the fourth-most likely player to be dealt, behind Trae Young, Jonathan Kuminga and CJ McCollum.

One exec told Heavy Sports that Ellis is a fascinating prospect due to his expiring contract ($2.3M) and his ability to be a plug-and-play piece.

“He has not even played that great this season, but he has a couple things going for him that are pushing his market,” the GM told Deveney of Ellis. “One, he is plug-and-play. Everybody needs another guy who can knock down shots and defend on the perimeter.

“Two, he is cheap. He makes ($2.3) million. You can take a guy off the end of your bench, put a couple of second-round picks in the deal and come away with a guy who would be in anyone’s rotation right now.”

Besides Ellis, other reported Lakers trade targets include New Orleans Pelicans’ Herb Jones and Miami Heat’s Andrew Wiggins. However, the Lakers won’t have to package the expiring contracts of Rui Hachimura, Gabe Vincent and/or Maxi Kleber for Ellis. They could theoretically acquire him just for Knecht and a protected first-round pick.

The question beckons: Will the Lakers sacrifice their only tradeable first-round pick for Ellis, a player averaging 5.7 points on 39% shooting in his fourth season?

Sai Mohan covers the NBA for Heavy.com. Based in Portugal, Sai is a seasoned sports writer with nearly two decades of publishing experience, including bylines at Yardbarker, FanSided’s Hoops Habit, International Business Times, Hindustan Times and more. More about Sai Mohan