The Los Angeles Lakers are 17-16 after 33 games this season.
That isn’t the sort of trajectory anyone imagined they would be on after a late-year run one season prior that saw them make it all the way to the Western Conference Finals.
The consensus at this point is that L.A. needs to make some sort of move ahead of the NBA Trade Deadline. There is just one problem with that, though: the front office will likely need to part with at least one player it doesn’t want to part with.
According to Shams Charania of The Athletic, the Lakers have two players that teams covet in return for any of their own stars.
“They have one first-round pick they can trade now, or they could wait until draft time, and they’ll have three first-round picks to trade,” Charania said.
“So, any deal that the Lakers wanna pursue for a star player is gonna most likely have to include the names of guys like Austin Reaves, Max Christie — that’s who teams will want.
“The Lakers obviously have shown no inclination of moving Austin Reaves, don’t wanna move Austin Reaves, but those are the types of players that teams will ask for.”
Obviously reports surfaced this week that Lakers coach Darvin Ham hates Austin Reaves, but that doesn’t mean Rob Pelinka and Co. are eager to trade their star away.
LSU Star Olivia Dunne’s Video In Her Pajamas Causes A Stir: https://t.co/9QJbtgin5g
— Game 7 (@game7__) December 31, 2023
Particularly not when they literally just signed him to a relatively favorable deal this past offseason.
Los Angeles is currently one of four teams in the hunt for Zach LaVine, one of three in the running for Trae Young, and one of two being mentioned for Dejounte Murray.
Will the Lakers actually be able to get any of those deals done in 2024? Time will tell.
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A graduate from the University of Texas, Anthony Amador has been credentialed to cover the Houston Texans, Dallas Cowboys, San Antonio Spurs, Dallas Mavericks and high school games all over the Lone Star State. Currently, his primary beats are the NBA, MLB, NFL and UFC.
