Lakers Trade Rumors: L.A. Wisely Interested in Dealing for Mo Williams

The Los Angeles Lakers may have lost Ramon Sessions this summer, but that does not mean they will just give up on acquiring a point guard that can help them get back to the NBA Finals.

ESPN’s Marc Stein is reporting that L.A. is highly considering a trade for former All-Star guard Mo Williams, who is currently playing for their crosstown rivals—the Los Angeles Clippers.

According to Stein:

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Sources told ESPN.com on Tuesday that one team to express interest in Williams is the Los Angeles Lakers, who still have a trade exception big enough to absorb Williams' contract that they created when they dealt [Lamar] Odom to Dallas.

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Williams has an $8.5 million player option that he fully plans to exercise for the 2012-13 season, even with Chris Paul, Eric Bledsoe and Chauncey Billups on the Clippers roster and his playing time limited.

It’s well known that the Lakers are interested in a PG, especially after they traded a first-round pick and some spare parts to basically rent Sessions at this year’s deadline.

However, GM Mitch Kupchak is also aware that taking on Williams’ contract would be helping the other Staples Center residents. The Clips have an interest in acquiring Odom from the Mavericks but need to ditch Williams in order to facilitate that deal.

The Lakers will have to weigh the risk vs. reward ratio if they choose to trade for the 29-year-old guard.

He has career averages of 13.8 PPG, 4.9 APG, 3.0 RPG and knocks down 44.1 percent of his field goals and 38.7 percent of his three-point attempts.

He is clearly better than anyone on the roster at the position and would give the Lakers another shooter in the backcourt, which is something that the roster direly needs.

If the only risks are a trade exception and helping a rival to acquire a player that was a locker room cancer and was paid to leave midway through last season, the Lakers must roll the dice.