Los Angeles Lakers Check In On Rising Sacramento Kings Star

The Los Angeles Lakers are a very top-heavy roster in 2025⁠–26, but thus far, the star trio of Austin Reaves, Luka Doncic, and LeBron James has led them to plenty of success, as they have an impressive 23⁠–11 record through 34 games. However, they're still facing an incredibly tough Western Conference, and if they wish to go deep once again this season, they will need to shake things up before the NBA playoffs.

Unsurprisingly, they've been linked to many upgrades, and as usual, the expectation is that the Lakers could land a major upgrade ahead of the 2026 trade deadline. Now, it's been reported by Evan Sidery that the team has checked in with the division rival Sacramento Kings over the availability of a rising young star.

That would be Keon Ellis, who has shown himself to be a very valuable young player on both ends of the floor, and given that he only plays 18 minutes a night, the Kings are clearly underutilizing him. In that time, Ellis is averaging 6 points a night while playing great defense on a nightly basis, and for a team that needs that on the perimeter, the fit here would be absolutely perfect.

The Lakers won't be the only team interested in Ellis, as he's proven that he could be a very valuable asset to a playoff contender moving forward, but if LA can land the rising star, it would be a massive boost to their hopes in 2025⁠–26.