Lakers Trade Rumors: Examining Buzz Regarding Goran Dragic and Jeremy Lin
The Los Angeles Lakers have just under three days to fix the mess that has been the 2014-15 season.
Of course, "fix" is a word used in a relative sense here. There's absolutely nothing L.A. can do to remedy the 13-40 record it currently boasts just a couple of days out of All-Star Weekend. In this situation, "fix" means that general manager Mitch Kupchak needs to look ahead to the 2015-16 season, one that will likely be Kobe Bryant's last in the Association.
So what can Kupchak do in the next 72 hours or so to set himself up for success next season? For one, he needs to trade away the few assets he has. Second, he needs to establish the organization as a legitimate contender for free agents in the offseason. It's not easy to completely admit defeat, but it has to be done.
Below, you'll read about the latest rumblings out of Laker Land.
Goran Dragic is the point guard the Lakers need, as well as the point guard the Lakers want.
ESPN.com's Marc Stein reports that "the Houston Rockets and Los Angeles Lakers are among many teams expected to try to persuade the Phoenix Suns to part with star guard Goran Dragic before Thursday's NBA trade deadline, according to league sources."
Dragic is a perfect fit on the talentless, point guard-deprived squad, but the team shouldn't go after him at the deadline. Right now, the goal is to tank. Creatively speaking, the goal is to "give the young guys a chance and see what they can do."
Translation: tank.
The Lakers are in line for a second consecutive year with a high pick in Round 1. Last year, the team took Julius Randle at No. 7. Currently with the fourth-worst record in the NBA, Los Angeles has a good chance of obtaining a top-five pick.
The team better hope it earns one, because it'll have to forfeit its selection to the Phoenix Suns if it falls between Nos. 6 and 30 as compensation for the Steve Nash trade a few years ago.
Acquiring Dragic now makes the team better. How much better is unknown at this point, but it's reasonable to assume that he'll account for a few more wins than the likes of Jeremy Lin and Jordan Clarkson in full-time minutes. That lessens the Lakers' chances of a pick in the top five.
Stein notes that Dragic is a free agent over the summer and that the Lakers are expected to pursue him with a max contract anyway. The best bet for them is to show interest, plant their organization in his mind now and then convince him to team up with the Black Mamba and a slew of other young talented players next season.
A core of Bryant, Dragic, Randle and another high pick like Emmanuel Mudiay or Karl-Anthony Towns would make the Lakers somewhat competitive in the Western Conference.
Jeremy Lin
Earlier in February, Sean Deveney of the Sporting News reported that the market for Lin has been "weak." That's probably because he's not exactly posting staggering numbers, but it also has something to do with the fact that Clarkson, the rookie, has supplanted him as the team's starting point guard.
Bleacher Report's Howard Beck highlighted some of Lin's more glaring numbers this season, and they can be used as an explanation as to why teams aren't biting on the player formerly known as Linsanity:
"The numbers tell the story. Lin is averaging 10.4 points per game, his lowest average since leaving New York, having averaged 13.4 points and 12.5 points in his two seasons with Houston. His field-goal percentage has sunk to .432, down from .446 last season. He is playing 25.5 minutes per game, down from 28.9 last season. On the plus side, Lin is shooting a career-high .374 from three-point range and still averaging a stout 4.6 assists in this limited role.
But his play has been wildly inconsistent, statistically and otherwise. Some nights, he looks like the attacking, confident kid who lit up Madison Square Garden, hit buzzer-beating jumpers and dropped 28 points and 14 assists on the Dallas Mavericks. Other nights, Lin looks tentative and sloppy with the ball.
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Lakers head coach Byron Scott has also expressed his concerns with Lin's game, via Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News: "It’s been so up and down with the consistency. Every single night, you’re getting something different."
Comments like that, while true, certainly won't spark interest in the 26-year-old. Formerly on the cusp of stardom while lighting it up for the New York Knicks in 2011-12, Lin has fallen hard.
Don't get it twisted, though. Lin can still be a valuable bench piece to contending teams. He does pass well and shoot well, but he has to limit his turnovers and work on converting more efficiently from inside the arc.
Lin has unfortunately become a player struggling to find an established role on an NBA team. Is he a starter, or is he a bench player? He has traits that fit both, but teams should view him as a reserve.
Trading Lin becomes even more difficult when considering his contract size. He's owed what's left of the $14.9 million he was scheduled to make this year, via Spotrac. That's not a number most teams want to pay for a reserve point guard.
Expect Lin to finish the season in L.A. before moving on as a free agent during the offseason.
Follow Kenny DeJohn on Twitter: @kennydejohn
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