The challenge for the Lakers, however, will be acquiring Claxton at the right price. The Nets signed him to a four-year, $97 million deal in the offseason, and while he hasn’t been at his peak level this season, his contract is descending, making him a potentially valuable long-term asset.

Do the Lakers and Warriors owe it to LeBron James and Stephen Curry to trade away a distant first-round pick to give them a better shot at winning a fifth championship?