JJ Redick Reveals Who Lakers Need To Trade For ASAP

J.J. Redick is diving headfirst into his new role as the head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers.

Earlier this week Redick offered a very blunt take on Bronny James’ awful Summer League performance. He then provided a sobering take on the youngster’s potential ceiling as an NBA player.

This week Redick revealed the Lakers’ biggest roster weakness and how he wants them to address it.

“You certainly have to look at what I think is actually a very good roster, a very balanced roster,” Redick said.

“I want that challenge. I’m not going to run from that challenge”

New Lakers Head Coach JJ Redick explains the comments he made in 2022 about LA not being a good job at that time@TermineRadio | @jumpshot8 | @SiriusXMSports | #NBA2KSummerLeague pic.twitter.com/uLN9tH41Ex

— SiriusXM NBA Radio (@SiriusXMNBA) July 13, 2024

“We’d love to, we tried, but we’d love to, at some point, get another five-man, a big bruising five-man. You look at the Western Conference right now, whether it’s Denver, Minnesota, OKC with what they added, certainly Memphis, they’re going to be back in the hunt, they added Zach Edey, certain matchups in the playoffs, you’re going to need a lot of size.”

It’s hard to argue with Redick’s broader point, but at the same time, it isn’t immediately clear how the Lakers can address this issue.

The team is currently on the verge of making a blockbuster trade – but not for a center.

And frankly speaking, there are no fives out there that really fit the bill for what Redick is looking for.

Jonas Valanciunas would have been nice, but he opted for greener pastures.

While Redick is right about the Lakers needing a competent, classic center – it doesn’t appear as though they will be able to get one ahead of the 2024-25 NBA season.

Carlos Garcia

A longtime Sports reporter, Carlos Garcia has written about some of the biggest and most notable athletic events of the last 5 years. He has been credentialed to cover MLS, NBA and MLB Games all over the United States. His work has been published on Fox Sports, Bleacher Report, AOL and the Washington Post.