Los Angeles Lakers: 3 players team must trade to sign LeBron James

Timofey Mozgov, C

Contract Remaining: 3 years, $16 million annually

This is the other obvious sore thumb the Lakers’ new regime is dealing with from a financial standpoint. The signing of Timofey Mozgov last offseason was a huge snafu, especially considering the price tag. Getting his deal off the books should be Magic’s top priority.

Unfortunately, making that happen is easier said than done. Not many teams are going to want to take on that type of contract for an average-at-best center. There just isn’t much of a market for Mozgov, which is likely why he hasn’t already been traded at this point.

Don’t think that’ll discourage the Lakers from exploring every potential trade opportunity, though. They know what getting rid of his contract will mean for the future of this franchise. It’ll likely take parting with some young talent or draft assets, but those are the repercussions of trying to clean up Jim Buss’ mess.

Sometimes you swing and miss. Mozgov was about as bad of a whiff as the Lakers could have expected last offseason. Despite that fact, moving on from him is the only way to move forward. Magic must find a team willing to take him on before James can become a realistic target.