Top defensive enforcer prioritized! Lakers' insider lists 7 key trade targets: Kings reveal asking price for Ellis

On December 20th Beijing time, Lakers insider Woj wrote about the Lakers’ possible trade targets, compiling a list of seven players and highlighting Kings’ rugged guard Keon Ellis.

League insiders indicate that the Kings have set the price for guard Ellis at a protected first-round draft pick.

Ellis, who will turn 26 next month, is known for his solid defensive skills, boasts a career three-point shooting percentage of 41.8%, and has a relatively modest salary of $2.3 million for the 2025-26 season. For teams with limited salary cap space unable to sign big contracts, Ellis is undoubtedly an attractive acquisition.

However, Woj pointed out that there is no consensus within the league regarding Ellis’s value.

A league source described the guard, now in his fourth NBA season, as "perhaps the most controversial player in the entire league." The source mentioned that while scouts from other teams generally rate Ellis highly, both former Kings coach Mike Brown and current coach Mike Christie have never fully trusted him as a consistent rotation player. Last season, Ellis started 28 games averaging 24.4 minutes per game, but for the 2025-26 season, he has only earned 2 starts with his playing time reduced to 17.6 minutes per game.

Woj explained that some skeptics believe Ellis’s defensive style leans more toward creating turnovers rather than genuinely limiting opponents’ offensive impact; others question his physical attributes, worrying he might struggle against bigger guards on defense.

It is also important to note that if Ellis does not agree to a contract extension with the Kings by February 10th next year (when he becomes eligible for early extension), he will become an unrestricted free agent this July. This means any team acquiring him via trade risks losing him for nothing during the 2026 offseason.

Despite these risks, Woj still considers Ellis one of the Lakers’ potential targets — the Lakers’ rotation clearly needs another player with strong defensive awareness.

Woj also mentioned six other potential targets, includingPelicans forward Herbert Jones, Heat forward Andrew Wiggins, Clippers forward Derrick Jones Jr., Nets guard Terence Mann, Hornets wing Josh Green, and Bulls guard Ayo Dosunmu.However, he cautioned that not all these players are necessarily available for trade, especially since the Lakers may not be able to meet some teams’ asking prices.

Currently, the Lakers hold only one first-round pick available for trade (a choice between the 2031 or 2032 pick) and one tradable second-round pick (2032). Additionally, the team has several first-round pick swap rights as trade assets. Notably, the trade value of 2024 first-round pick Knect has declined since last season, due to him gradually falling out of coach Reddick’s regular rotation this fall.