The Los Angeles Lakers’ first attempt at championship contention with both LeBron James and Luka Dončić at the helm ended in demoralizing fashion in the first round of the 2025 NBA Playoffs.
After managing only one postseason victory in their five-game series rout at the hands of the Minnesota Timberwolves, the generational duo will be looking to return the Lakers to the top of the Western Conference in 2025-26.
If the pair wish to compete for a title in the immediate future, gaining another respectable shot-creator outside of their homegrown talent Austin Reaves could be paramount to their success.
In that case, it’s plausible to believe that Los Angeles’ general manager Rob Pelinka may approach a team like the Indiana Pacers in an effort to land their rising star and capable scorer Bennedict Mathurin via trade.
The Pacers’ cap situation will likely position the franchise as sellers this offseason, making a handful of their most impactful players available to be dealt this summer, including the 22-year-old Mathurin.
By hypothetically swapping Mathurin to Los Angeles for a package consisting of Dalton Knecht, Shake Milton and draft capital, the Pacers would not be held responsible for handing the rising star a large contract extension as a restricted free agent in the summer of 2026. On the other hand, the Lakers could be in the market to do so in the wake of James’ potential retirement.
Indiana’s former No. 6 overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft just wrapped up his third regular season campaign in 2024-25. In 72 appearances, the 6-foot-6 forward contributed 16.1 points, 5.3 rebounds and 1.9 assists on a career-best 51.6% effective field goal percentage.
Ball-dominant superstars such as James and Dončić have historically needed a young, athletic, offensive-minded wing to take on some of the scoring load for their teams to be successful, and Mathurin could certainly fill that role for a competitive Lakers team.
The brunt of Mathurin’s value could be attributed to his knack for putting the ball in the basket, but he’s already shown vast improvement as a defender through his short NBA career, possibly further increasing his stock on the trade market this offseason.
If the Lakers were to acquire Mathurin and continue to mold the agile, score-first forward into a true two-way force, Los Angeles could be looked upon favorably in West prior to the beginning of the 2025-26 season.
