Lakers Rumors: Whispers from Los Angeles on Jeremy Lin, Goran Dragic and More
Let’s be perfectly honest as the Feb. 19 trade deadline approaches in the NBA—the big, bad Los Angeles Lakers are sellers just playing out the string for the rest of the season.
After all, they check in at an abysmal 13-37 with 12 losses in their last 13 games, including two in a row in overtime.
Considering it is all about the future now for the Lakers, it is really no surprise that there are some rumors circulating. Here are a few of them.
Jeremy Lin
Sean Deveney of Sporting News provided an update on Jeremy Lin’s immediate future on the trade block: “He would make a good backup point guard, and the Lakers would move him if they could get an asset in return, but the market for Lin has been weak.”
The fact that Lin was Los Angeles’ headline move this past offseason probably has something to do with the team’s overall record. He would be a solid option off the bench, as Deveney mentions, but the NBA is loaded with top-notch point guards. That makes it difficult for the Lakers to win this positional battle on any given night.
On the season, Lin is averaging 10.4 points and 4.7 assists a game behind 42.1 percent shooting from the field and 36.1 percent shooting from three-point range (as of Friday evening). Again, like everything else with Lin, the numbers are solid but not spectacular.
Lin will be a free agent this offseason, and the Lakers would love to get anything in return for him that could help them rebuild, but he just hasn’t played well enough to warrant that type of move from a contender.
Deveney also commented on Jordan Hill:
"Early in the year, interested teams were told that Hill would not be available. That has not stopped the interest in Hill, who is averaging 12.3 points and 8.0 rebounds, and can potentially be a free agent next summer because he has a team option in his contract. Hill is out with a quad injury and may not play until the deadline hits, but interest in him will remain high.
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Hill is an interesting case study because the Lakers could get something of value in return, but they clearly think he could be a part of their future.
He is still only 27 years old and theoretically has a handful of productive years in his prime remaining. The thing is, he has been far more productive this season than he has at any point of his career, so the Lakers are going to have to decide whether he is simply putting up numbers on a bad team because someone has to produce or if he really has turned a corner.
Never in his career has he averaged double figures in scoring until this season, and the eight boards a night also represents a career high.
Assuming the Lakers do try to hold onto him, he can still be a valuable piece next year alongside a healthy Julius Randle in the frontcourt. If nothing else, Hill can serve as a mentor and help coach the youngster as he grows accustomed to the NBA level.
Goran Dragic
Deveney discussed a potential Lakers target as well: “The Lakers have wanted Dragic all season but don't have much to offer.”
It is no wonder the Lakers want someone like Dragic considering he was the NBA’s Most Improved Player of the Year last season and is averaging 16.3 points, four assists, 3.6 rebounds and a steal per game this year (as of Friday evening).
It may seem strange that the Phoenix Suns, who are in the thick of the playoff race in the daunting Western Conference, may want to give up Dragic, but Deveney addressed the reasoning:
"The Suns have loaded up on guards, and it seems that no matter how coach Jeff Hornacek handles the situation, someone will not be pleased.
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While there has been nothing serious in terms of deals that have been close, as the Suns' hold on a playoff spot in the West slips away, there is a sense that they'll pull the trigger on something that can bring in the kind of perimeter-shooting big man they lost when Channing Frye left in free agency. Gerald Green (a free agent) is a trade possibility, but Dragic (also a free agent) would net a better return.
This is a tricky tightrope for the Suns to walk. On the one hand, trading someone like Dragic may signal to the fanbase that they aren’t going for a serious run at the title this season, but they may also need to take an honest look at their chances. Are the Suns really going to emerge from a Western Conference that is absolutely loaded with landmines in the playoffs?
Trading Dragic could net them future assets in return, which would help them build a serious title contender in the near future. Of course, it could also give them a ready-to-contribute-now player in a position of need who could help them this year (as Deveney alluded to).
Don’t expect any trade to come with the Lakers, though. They simply don’t have any realistic options that could help the Suns win anytime soon.
Perhaps Los Angeles could land the playmaking guard in free agency considering his recent comments, via Mark Medina of LA Daily News: “Any player that is one of the best players in the league would be cool to play with. Kobe is a legend. I know how awesome it is to be around those superstars. If you’re patient enough and you listen, you learn a lot.”
The Lakers would love it if Dragic learned a lot as part of their future roster.
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