Lakers Trade Rumors: Reviewing Latest Chatter on 2016 Deadline Day
The 2016 NBA trade deadline is set for 3 p.m. ET on Thursday. The buildup to the cutoff point can be an exciting, nervous and stressful time for fans, though those who cheer on the Los Angeles Lakers are probably better served keeping their imaginations and emotions in check.
While there is a bit of late chatter surrounding the team, it seems unlikely they will be able to work out a suitable deal involving any of their players. The Lakers are 11-44, dead last in the Western Conference and trying to balance the Kobe Bryant farewell tour with the development of their promising young players. It's not exactly a situation conducive to trade talk.
Here's a rundown of the Lakers' trade deadline buzz.
Young Players Likely to Stay Put
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The young core of the team—which presumably includes players like Julius Randle, D'Angelo Russell, Jordan Clarkson and Larry Nance Jr.—is not completely off the table, but is unlikely to be moved, according to the Los Angeles Times' Mike Bresnahan and the Orange County Register's Janis Carr:
This is hardly surprising. The Lakers have spent first-round picks on Randle and Russell, while Clarkson has shown encouraging improvement in his second year in the league and emerged as a reliable scorer.
Nance Jr. has flashed potential and is a fantastic athlete. He has the makings of a solid role player on a good team if he continues to develop. The likes of Tarik Black and Anthony Brown are cheap young players who would only be involved in a trade as throw-in pieces in a larger deal.
Of course, things aren't all rosy for the Lakers' young guns, certainly not in a season as trying as this one.
The way head coach Byron Scott has handled Russell in particular has drawn all sorts of criticism, as there's concern that he's stifling the rookie's development by limiting his minutes and keeping him out of the starting lineup. Per Bresnahan, he's not expected to start against San Antonio on Friday:
Assuming the Lakers aren't willing to move Russell or the other key young players, they should be able to do a better job of getting these players valuable minutes, even in losing efforts.
Lou Williams Drawing Interest
There is a move the Lakers front office could make to open up minutes for Russell (and Clarkson, for that matter). Veteran guard Lou Williams is reportedly a target of several teams, per Bleacher Report's Michael Pina:
SB Nation's Ben Rosales discussed several reasons why moving Williams would allow the Lakers to be more flexible in shaping their preferred backcourt of the future, as well as making room for the the young guns to play together in the short term:
"We can debate the relative merits of whether the market now or in the summer might be more receptive to Lou, but the question of timing perhaps more relevant here is what trading him now permits the team to do for the remainder of the season. As one might expect, this largely revolves around maximizing the amount of time that Russell and Clarkson spend on the court together moving forward. Considering how the two play together is a key aspect of the team's future prospects, getting more of a sample size on how they work together before the summer rolls around would be highly beneficial for obvious reasons.
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While getting rid of Williams—who is tied for second on the team with 15.4 points per game—for spare parts or picks would free the team up to make other moves, there are arguments for keeping him around.
He's signed through the 2017-18 season, and isn't all that expensive with the salary cap set to balloon. Williams wouldn't prevent the Lakers from going after max-contract guys, and could even be considered a selling point if he's the only productive veteran still under contract this summer.
Williams is an efficient scorer, getting to the free-throw line 6.3 times per game and averaging 1.442 points per shot, according to ESPN.com. As the reigning Sixth Man of the Year, Williams is clearly a flexible player well-suited to a complementary role.
Plus, as one of the few players showing any sort of consistency or killer instinct this season, getting rid of Williams might not go over well with some fans.
At 29 years old, his best days might be behind him, but his game isn't predicated on blowing opponents away with his athleticism. He's a crafty, skilled player and can absolutely be an asset during this rebuild, but if things go the Lakers' way this offseason, they might not be in need of his services.
What About the Other Veterans Not Named Kobe or Lou?
ESPN.com's Marc Stein reported on Jan. 30 that the Lakers were making some of their ragtag group of veterans available:
"Denver is making no secret of veteran forward JJ Hickson's availability. Ditto for the Los Angeles Lakers and a number of veterans on their roster: Roy Hibbert, Brandon Bass, Nick Young and Lou Williams. We should note, however, that Hibbert possesses the only expiring contract in that quartet. Bass holds a $3.1 million player option for next season.
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Other than Williams, little chatter has emerged. It would be nice for the Lakers to get rid of Hibbert at the deadline and wipe his expiring contract and cap hold from the team. Pina offered his take on teams that might find a use for the declining big man this season:
"Per NBA.com, opponents are shooting 56.1 percent at the rim against L.A. this season, which is a league high. Two slots below the Lakers sit the Boston Celtics, one of the best defensive squads in the league. But the Celtics still lack any intimidation factor inside. To save about $100,000, the Lakers could flip Hibbert to Boston for David Lee and a second-round pick.
The Portland Trail Blazers showed interest in Hibbert a couple years ago, so maybe they’d be willing to absorb his contract for a future second-round pick and Chris Kaman's expiring contract? Do the Grizzlies have any interest in a stop-gap replacement for an injured Marc Gasol?
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Considering his poor play, however, it seems unlikely teams will be calling with attractive last-minute offers on deadline day.
While Young has admitted to being open to moving on from the team, Lakers Nation's Serena Winters reports he was in a good mood at Wednesday's practice:
The 30-year-old chucker is averaging 9.7 points per game on 35.4 percent shooting from the floor and doesn't mesh well with the Lakers' long-term plans. However, the Lakers would likely find it tough to move him. Plus, according to Spotrac, Young has a player option in 2017-18, so he doesn't work as a rental like Hibbert or Brandon Bass might.
All told, the deadline figures to be a quiet one for the Lakers. The young players should stay put, Williams could be fairly tough to part with and the other potential trade pieces don't appear to be all that enticing to other teams.
The Lakers are banking on a big summer to rejuvenate the franchise. That's when they'll be looking to make noise.
