One thing that keeps hurting the Lakers in losses this season is their trouble guarding quicker backcourts. It shows that they need better perimeter defenders.

With the trade deadline coming up, the Lakers really want to get a good 3-and-D wing. This is a player who can stop drives, defend top scorers, and space the floor on offence. They have been talking to people around the league about players who fit this description.

The Lakers have looked at guys like Andrew Wiggins from Miami and Trey Murphy III and Herb Jones from New Orleans, who are both good defensive players. But it might be hard to get any of them.

NBA insider Marc Stein said that a lot of teams are wondering if the Pelicans would listen to trade offers for Jones or Murphy.

Stein said that New Orleans has set a very high asking price to scare teams away. Both players are good wings who are on reasonable contracts, which is why the Pelicans don't want to trade them.

Dan Woike of The Athletic agreed, saying that the Pelicans don't want to trade Jones. He added that the Lakers don't have many draft picks to offer, which makes a deal almost impossible. They only have one first-round pick they can trade (in 2030 or 2031).

Woike wrote that the Pelicans probably wouldn’t be interested in what the Lakers can offer, which is expiring contracts and one first-round pick.

He said that New Orleans could change their mind by the Feb. 5 deadline, but it would take a lot to convince it to trade a good defensive wing to a team in the same conference.

After losing to the Spurs 132–119, head coach JJ Redick didn't hold back when talking about the Lakers' defence.

There are very few teams that don’t have something that you can take advantage of, Redick said. And we usually get exposed to the same things.

The Lakers have one of the worst defensive ratings among teams with at least 15 wins. They allow 116.7 points per 100 possessions, which is 21st in the league. That's not good for a team that wants to win a championship.

"I think the hardest thing for our team right now is containing the ball," Redick added.

That was obvious against San Antonio, where Stephon Castle, Dylan Harper, and De'Aaron Fox scored a combined 24-for-43. Castle had 30 points, drove to the basket easily, and shot nine free throws. He and Fox also made seven three-pointers together.

Lakers star Austin Reaves, who has had trouble against quicker guards, agreed with Redick about the team's defence.

That’s a weakness we have to fix, Reaves said. The spirit is still good here. We know we can do it. But we have to defend as a team of five.

Rich Paul, LeBron James’ agent, also talked about the Lakers' defensive problems on The Ringer’s Game Over With Max Kellerman and Rich Paul.

I personally don’t think the Lakers are good enough to be contenders right now, Paul said. He said they don't have enough athleticism to compete with teams like the Oklahoma City Thunder and Denver Nuggets.

When asked to explain, Paul said that it would be hard to reach the Western Conference Finals with the current team.

The Lakers don't have many draft picks, so they are realising that it's hard to make trades.

The price for good two-way wings has gone up, so the Lakers will have a tough time improving their team before the deadline. Some of the players they want might just be too expensive.

In a big move Friday morning, the Edmonton Oilers traded Stuart Skinner to the Pittsburgh Penguins for Tristan Jarry.

Pittsburgh also sent minor-league forward Samuel Poulin to Edmonton. In return, the Penguins got defenseman Brett Kulak and a second-round pick in the 2029 NHL Draft.

That wasn't the only trade the Oilers made Friday. They also got defenseman Spencer Stastney from the Nashville Predators for a third-round pick in the 2027 NHL Draft.

Edmonton's goaltending hasn't been steady during their Stanley Cup Final runs the past two seasons. This year, the team's save percentage is second-worst in the NHL at .873.

Jarry, who is 30, has a 9-3-1 record with one shutout this season. In 14 games (13 starts), he has a 2.66 goals-against average and a .909 save percentage. He's in the third year of a five-year, $26.875 million contract.

Since being drafted by the Penguins in the second round of the 2013 NHL Draft, Jarry has played 307 games (294 starts), with a 161-100-32 record, 22 shutouts, a 2.74 GAA, and a .909 save percentage.

Skinner, 27, has an 11-8-4 record with two shutouts this season. In 23 games (all starts), he has a 2.83 GAA and .891 save percentage. The Edmonton native is in the final year of a three-year, $7.8 million contract and can become a free agent after the season.

Since being drafted by the Oilers in the third round of the 2017 NHL Draft, Skinner has played 197 games (191 starts) with a 109-62-18 record, nine shutouts, a 2.74 GAA, and a .904 save percentage.

Poulin, 24, hasn't scored in two games with Pittsburgh this season.

Since being drafted by the Penguins with the 21st pick in the 2019 NHL Draft, he has two assists in 15 games.

Kulak, 31, has two assists in 31 games this season.

The Edmonton native has 127 points (28 goals, 99 assists) in 611 games with the Flames, Montreal Canadiens, and Oilers. He was drafted by Calgary in the fourth round of the 2012 NHL Draft.

Stastney, 25, has nine points (one goal, eight assists) in 30 games this season.

He has 18 points (three goals, 15 assists) in 81 games with the Predators.