NBA TradeNews

NBA Exec Identifies Lakers’ Best Trade Piece Ahead Of Deadline

NBA Exec Identifies Lakers’ Best Trade Piece Ahead Of Deadline

The Los Angeles Lakers are typically brought up as a team that needs to make a big move at this year’s NBA Trade Deadline.

Given that they are 20-24 and sit 13th in the Western Conference, the rationale obviously makes sense.

That said, after Anthony Davis got hurt, the Lakers quickly shifted their strategy.

So what’s on the docket for L.A. ahead of Feb. 9?

During a recent conversation with NBA insider Sean Deveney, one league executive suggested that Kendrick Nunn was likely the Lakers’ best and more likely trade piece.

“He could help someone,” the exec said.

“But they need to show he is healthy. He’s got a very manageable contract ($5.25 million, expiring this summer) and they’re dying for size on that team.

“They’re not going to trade LeBron (James) or Anthony Davis obviously, so the best package they can put out there is Nunn and (Patrick) Beverley and one of their picks (in 2027 or 2029). Honestly, he is their best trade piece right now.”

Nunn’s time in Los Angeles has been mired by injuries from the jump, so he has never really gotten the opportunity to earn the sort of minutes everyone originally envisioned him playing.

That said, with Lonnie Walker IV and Austin Reaves both getting hurt recently, Nunn has gotten some fresh playing time. The result? A respectable 11.4 points per game in fairly limited minutes.

Obviously the Lakers will not be able to get anything huge back for a player of Nunn’s caliber, but that isn’t really an option any more anyway.

For better or worse, this group is remaining the same this season.

Now it’s just about positioning the franchise ever so slightly to look better in 2023-24 than it has in 2022-23.

At this point it feels like a foregone conclusion that Nunn will be playing elsewhere after the NBA Trade Deadline. What will the Lakers ultimately be able to get for him? Time will tell.

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Anthony Amador

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.
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