Lakers trade idea unites Luka Doncic, elite defensive wing via Dalton Knecht-Pelicans swap

Lakers trade idea unites Luka Doncic, elite defensive wing via Dalton Knecht-Pelicans swap originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

The Los Angeles Lakers have been on a heater as of late, with their 133-121 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans on Sunday night marking their seventh consecutive victory.

With LeBron James sidelined for a large portion of the year due to sciatica, Los Angeles' 26-year-old generational talent Luka Dončić (35.1 points, 9.2 assists) has catapulted towards the top of the early-season MVP race, and Austin Reaves (28.8 points, 6.8 assists) appears to be a shoe-in to receive his first All-Star nod.

Still, there's no excuse for the team not to capitalize on their recent success and perform an all-in trade to further support the incredibly dynamic offensive trio by landing a dominant perimeter defender.

Luckily for the Lakers' general manager Rob Pelinka, one NBA writer believes that the storied franchise should push all of their chips to the middle to acquire New Orleans' 2024 All-Defensive First Team forward Herb Jones.

"Why not go get somebody like a Herb Jones?" Yahoo Sports' Kevin O'Connor said during a recent episode of The Kevin O'Connor Show.

"Make an offer for it. Give Gabe Vincent, maybe. Dalton Knecht (and) a future first, maybe a little bit more if you have to."

"Why not at least make an effort? Because I think this team is that legit offensively."

In an effort to provide the slower-footed Dončić with a perfect complementary two-way piece, O'Connor posited the idea of negotiating a deal centered around a Jones-Dalton Knecht swap.

The former No. 17 overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft has had a shaky start to begin his sophomore campaign, but the shoot-first wing could be looked upon favorably by a rebuilding Pelicans squad.

At 27 years old, Jones remains a stellar piece and fairly consistent outside shot-maker who can serve as an immediate upgrade for the Lakers' struggling defensive core (No. 17 ranked 114.9 defensive rating).

Jones has been ravaged by injuries over the past few seasons, but the thought of potentially throwing a game-changing perimeter stopper into the fray for a competitive Lakers group might be too tempting of a prospect for Pelinka to pass on.

In 16 games for the Pelicans in 2025-26, the 6-foot-7 combo-forward has contributed 9.5 points, 3.8 rebounds and 1.4 steals on a poor 47.9% effective field goal percentage.

Sure, his efficiency might not please the Lakers' front office, but Jones' only job as a prospective member of the team would be to lock up opposing star guards and forwards while allowing Dončić, Reaves and James to conserve energy for the offensive end.

More NBA: Westchester Knicks acquire 24-year-old son of former NBA All-Star