The Lakers’ patience at the trade deadline has been deliberate, but their need for backcourt help is becoming impossible to ignore. Rather than chasing splashy, high-priced stars, Los Angeles appears to be zeroing in on smarter, lower-risk upgrades. Enter Ayo Dosunmu. The Chicago Bulls guard has quietly developed into one of the most in-demand names on the market, and a fresh trade proposal suggests the Lakers could land him without giving up a major asset.

Dosunmu could prove a big addition for any playoff-contending team, especially one like the Lakers, currently sitting fifth in the Western Conference. However, the Bulls are reportedly asking for a very high price for their reserve guard, which puts the Purple & Gold in a tough situation. However, according to Trevor Lane from Lakers Nation, the Lakers still have a scenario left where they can land Dosunmu without giving up a big piece like Rui Hachimura. 

“Ayo Dosunmu is an expiring contract. So in order to keep him, that’s gonna eat into your summer cap space,” Lane said. ” So that’s what I’m saying, with free agency, you’re giving the Bulls flexibility here. Because they don’t want Ayo to walk for nothing — they don’t want to be the team to pay him on his next contract, and so you go after a player like him. And then you could offer pure cap release to Chicago [Bulls], by offering them, say it’s just Maxi [Kleber] for Ayo Dosunmu.”

According to Lane, the Lakers could send Maxi Kleber, who has an expiring three-year, $33 million contract, to the Bulls. The Lakers control one tradable first-round pick, which could come from either 2031 or 2032. Interestingly, the Bulls are also looking for a few draft additions for teams asking for Dosunmu’s price. They could make the offer more lucrative by adding a second-round pick and a first-round swap right in 2032. 

Dosunmu is in the final year of his three-year, $21 million deal with the Bulls. While there seems to be mutual interest between the Bulls and the reserve guard in signing a potential extension. The Bulls won’t be willing to give up Dosunmu without getting a substantial return.

They would want the Lakers to add a player like Hachimura in the package. If the Lakers do so, they would be selling more than they would be improving their roster. But Pelinka seems in no hurry and is thinking in a different direction.

Rob Pelinka is reportedly looking at long term plan for the Lakers

The Los Angeles Lakers entered the 2025-26 NBA trade deadline period (which closes on February 5, 2026) with expectations of being one of the league’s more active buyers. Early reports positioned them as aggressively exploring the market for perimeter defense and rim protection upgrades to bolster their roster around Luka Doncic.

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Names like De’Andre Hunter (then with the Cleveland Cavaliers) and Keon Ellis (then with the Sacramento Kings) surfaced repeatedly in Lakers trade rumors as potential 3-and-D wing fits to address defensive shortcomings on the perimeter.

However, the landscape shifted quickly. In a three-team deal, De’Andre Hunter was traded from the Cavaliers to the Sacramento Kings, while Keon Ellis and Dennis Schroder headed to Cleveland (with the Chicago Bulls also involved for salary/draft considerations).

This move eliminated two of the Lakers’ more prominently linked targets from their reach.

With just days left before the deadline, Lakers trade buzz has noticeably cooled, and the team has yet to complete any significant acquisitions. According to NBA insider Jake Fischer, this quiet approach is no accident—it’s a deliberate strategy from general manager Rob Pelinka.

“The Lakers do not want to just trade for a guy like De’Andre Hunter, who’s got future salary,” Fischer said during a livestream on Monday. “They do not just want to add a Michael Porter Jr., who’s got future salary and also pay draft capital to make that happen.”

“I think the Lakers are going to be more patient, look more on the edges, and find something that would help them improve without really sending out too much of a major haul.”

Fischer tied the missed opportunity on Keon Ellis (who went to Cleveland) to a signal that the Lakers aren’t pushing aggressively for perimeter additions at the trade deadline right now.

Instead, Pelinka is focused on preserving cap space and select draft assets—particularly avoiding long-term salary commitments like De’Andre Hunter’s $48M multiyear deal, which recently stalled talks with Cleveland despite initial interest.

This deadline restraint aligns with broader insider reporting, including from Dave McMenamin, emphasizing resource retention for summer 2026 free agency or trades to add complementary two-way wings (e.g., Jonathan Kuminga, Herb Jones, Trey Murphy III, or even Michael Porter Jr.) around Luka Doncic post-trade.

After this season, Austin Reaves will have a player option, and LeBron James will become a free agent. By the offseason, the Lakers will have $55.1 million in cap space.

With over $40M in expiring contracts like Gabe Vincent and Jarred Vanderbilt available for packaging, Pelinka aims for cap flexibility and pick accumulation (potentially flipping their 2032 first into multiples) rather than deadline risks that limit 2026 maneuverability.