The Los Angeles Lakers weren’t expected to defeat the Oklahoma City Thunder in the second round of the postseason. Even if Luka Doncic, who missed the entire series due to a hamstring injury, had been inactive, the 17-time NBA champions would have been significant underdogs. On Wednesday, a trade rumor/report involving Doncic hints at the Lakers completing at least one blockbuster deal to provide Doncic with the pieces necessary to help the franchise take a massive step forward in 2026-27.“Team and league sources have said they expect the Lakers to be aggressive on the trade market,” The Athletic’s Sam Amick and Don Woike reported. “There’s internal confidence that pathways toward an optimized roster for Doncic will reveal themselves." Amick and Woike’s report should be music to Doncic and the Lakers’ ears. Whether landing a viable Deandre Ayton replacement in Utah Jazz star center Walker Kessler or breaking the bank to land Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo, the Lakers should be prepared to assess their roster and make the moves that make the most sense for the franchise. However, Amick and Woike did note that Doncic isn’t keen on Los Angeles including Austin Reaves in a trade package for Antetokounmpo, which would all but eliminate them from contention for the future Hall of Fame forward. That said, even if Antetokounmpo appears out of reach, Los Angeles will have plenty of valuable assets to target on the trade market (Trey Murphy, Aaron Gordon, Evan Mobley, etc).More NBA news:Lakers urged to cut ties with struggling $18 million guard who reportedly requested tradeWarriors predicted to make NBA-altering sign-and-trade for $101 million Lakers 22-time All-StarLakers-Wizards trade pitch sends $186 million 10-time All-Star, NBA champion back to Los Angeles