Lakers pursue a late-summer upgrade in a win-now bid, eyeing a two-way wing to raise ceiling without sacrificing cap flexibility. The report highlights Deandre Ayton, Marcus Smart, Jake LaRavia, and Andrew Wiggins as plausible targets, with Luka Doncic’s extension and LeBron James’ ongoing commitment framing the win-now parity. Giannis, Jokic, Towns, and Lillard are cited as long-term benchmarks that could shift trade dynamics, while the Heat and other franchises factor into the market. The piece frames LA as opportunistic rather than reckless.