![\"Rob](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/GettyImages-2253656182-e1766855016676.jpg\")
\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tGetty\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
General Manager Rob Pelinka of the Los Angeles Lakers looks on prior to the game against the Houston Rockets.<\/p>\n
The Los Angeles Lakers<\/a> know exactly what is wrong with their roster \u2014 and they know exactly what kind of player could fix it.<\/p>\n After a recent slide fueled by defensive breakdowns, the Lakers are actively searching for a 3-and-D wing who can guard elite scorers, create turnovers and fit alongside Luka Don\u010di\u0107<\/a>,\u00a0LeBron James<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Austin Reaves<\/a> without disrupting the offense.<\/p>\n According to ClutchPoints\u2019 Brett Siegel, that search has already led the Lakers to one of the league\u2019s premier defensive specialists.<\/p>\n \u201cHerb Jones is another player high atop the Lakers\u2019 trade wish list, especially ahead of this year\u2019s trade deadline,\u201d Siegel reported<\/a> Friday. \u201cThe Lakers have already held conversations with the Pelicans about Jones\u2019 availability, but they, too, aren\u2019t actively looking to move their defensive-minded wing. Jones\u2019 asking price remains very high, and he appears to be out of the Lakers\u2019 price range in terms of assets.\u201d<\/p>\n That asset problem may be the story.<\/p>\n Herb Jones Emerges as Ideal Fit for Lakers\u2019 Defensive Needs GettyShai Gilgeous-Alexander of the Oklahoma City Thunder<\/a> is defended by Herbert Jones of the New Orleans Pelicans.<\/p>\n Jones, 27, signed a three-year, $68 million extension with New Orleans in July 2025 that runs through the 2028-29 season with a player option for 2029-30 \u2014 a five-year, $97 million total commitment. His $13.9 million salary this season makes him one of the league\u2019s most valuable contracts relative to impact.<\/p>\n Though his offensive numbers are modest \u2014 9.8 points, 3.7 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game \u2014 Jones\u2019 defensive profile places him among the NBA\u2019s elite.<\/p>\n He ranks in the top three<\/a> in steals per game (1.7), the 93rd percentile in deflections and the 96th percentile in turnovers forced, according to Crafted NBA<\/a>. At 6-foot-7 with a 7-foot wingspan and a career 36.4% mark from three-point range, Jones is the archetype every contender covets.<\/p>\n The Lakers, by contrast, currently rank 26th in defensive efficiency<\/a> despite boasting one of the league\u2019s most potent offenses.<\/p>\n Trade Cost Likely Beyond Lakers\u2019 Reach<\/p>\n Los Angeles has only one tradable first-round pick available (2030 or 2031) and a limited set of young assets led by Dalton Knecht, plus a collection of expiring contracts.<\/p>\n The Ringer founder and long-time\u00a0NBA<\/a>\u00a0analyst Bill Simmons recently floated a possible package.<\/p>\n \u201cI would trade Herb Jones right now,\u201d Simmons said<\/a> earlier this month. \u201cThe contract he\u2019s at, literally what the Lakers need. [Dalton] Knecht<\/a>, [Maxi] Kleber<\/a>\u00a0and a 2031 first. Call it in.\u201d<\/p>\n But per Siegel\u2019s reporting, that offer would fall short.<\/p>\n New Orleans is not motivated to move Jones, and if it ever did, multiple teams with deeper draft capital could outbid Los Angeles easily.<\/p>\n League Voices Agree: Lakers Need a Defensive Wing<\/p>\n The Athletic\u2019s Sam Amick echoed that reality on Run It Back.<\/p>\n \u201cThe Lakers are looking for a 3-and-D-type guy,\u201d Amick said<\/a>. \u201cCould it be\u00a0Keon Ellis<\/a>, Herb Jones, or somebody like that?\u201d<\/p>\n Lakers beat reporter Jovan Buha previously suggested that kind of addition is the only path toward legitimate contention.<\/p>\n \u201cIf it\u2019s a Herb Jones, I think they have a real shot,\u201d Buha said<\/a> in September. \u201cMaybe I\u2019d pick them to beat OKC.\u201d<\/p>\n That urgency has only increased.<\/p>\n Rich Paul\u2019s Comments Underscore Growing Concern<\/p>\n Even before the recent slide, LeBron James\u2019 agent, Rich Paul, publicly questioned the Lakers\u2019 ceiling during the debut episode of\u00a0The Ringer\u2019s Game Over With Max Kellerman and Rich Paul.<\/p>\n \u201cI personally don\u2019t think the Lakers are good enough to be contenders, not right now,\u201d Paul said<\/a>. \u201cI don\u2019t think they have enough to get to the Western Conference Finals.\u201d<\/p>\n Those comments now feel less provocative and more prophetic.<\/p>\n The Lakers know what they need. They\u2019ve identified the player type. They\u2019ve even identified the player.<\/p>\n What they don\u2019t have is the leverage.<\/p>\n And with the trade deadline approaching and defensive issues mounting, Los Angeles may be forced to accept a difficult truth \u2014 the solution they want may be the one they can\u2019t afford.<\/p>\n \n\t\t\tAlder Almo<\/a> is a sports journalist covering the NBA for Heavy.com. He has more than 20 years of experience in local and international media, including broadcast, print and digital. He previously covered the Knicks for Empire Sports Media and the NBA for Off the Glass. Alder is from the Philippines and is now based in Jersey City, New Jersey. More about Alder Almo<\/a>\t\t<\/p>\n \n\t\t\tMore Heavy on Lakers\n\t\t<\/p>\n \n\t\t\t\tLoading more stories\n\t\t<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Getty General Manager Rob Pelinka of the Los Angeles Lakers looks on prior to the game against the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":375611,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[574],"tags":[64,63,726,85],"class_list":["post-375610","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-basketball","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-basketball","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/375610","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=375610"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/375610\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/375611"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=375610"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=375610"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=375610"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"Herbert](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/GettyImages-2150466081-e1765387681352.jpg\")
<\/p>\n