The Lakers have a specific set of wants as the NBA trade deadline nears, and Kings wing Keon Ellis fits them all. But they're not alone.

One writer suggested a trade with the Clippers that may give the Lakers what they need to become true championship contenders.

It’s the unofficial start of NBA trade season. As of today — Monday, Dec. 15 — 79 players who signed or extended their contracts last summer became eligible to be traded. That means the options have greatly expanded for front offices trying to match salaries and develop trade packages that work for both sides.

The Lakers have a high-powered offense but could use wing defenders. They're not alone, which could complicate things.

Between Detroit’s title push, Milwaukee’s uncertainty around Giannis Antetokounmpo and Dallas’s need to tear it down, the trade market is already taking shape.

Our new tool allows you to check trade rumor mentions for players over the previous seven days, 14 days, all the way out to over the previous month, and it automatically ranks players by frequency, making it extremely useful in figuring out which NBA players might be getting traded next.

Austin Reaves was named as a surprising trade asset as the Lakers continue to explore roster upgrades ahead of the deadline.

The Lakers have gotten off to a solid start to the season at 18-7. Currently, that’s good enough for the No. 3 spot in the Western Conference standings. By most accounts, the West, and the NBA in general, is a one-horse race with the Oklahoma City Thunder seemingly in a class of their own.

The Sacramento Kings are reportedly seeing a spike in trade interest surrounding Keon Ellis as the team prepares to potentially sell ahead of the Feb. 5 trade deadline.

According to a new batch of rumors from HoopsHype 's Michael Scotto, the Jazz have rejected a "hefty" trade package from the Lakers in the past before Los Angeles offered a similar deal to the Charlotte Hornets for Mark Williams during last season's deadline that would ultimately never go through.