Lakers Trade Rumors: Last-Minute Buzz on Ty Lawson, Goran Dragic, Miles Plumlee

The Los Angeles Lakers have a few things brewing as the NBA's trade deadline looms over the league's head early Thursday afternoon.

Naturally, the Purple and Gold have been involved in talks on a variety of players. Despite the team's 13-40 record, it appears as if general manager Mitch Kupchak would like to add to his roster before the deadline passes.

Question the decision all you want, and keep in mind that the team must forfeit its draft pick to the Phoenix Suns if it falls past No. 5 while you do so. But realize that the Lakers are run unlike most franchises. It's all about winning—whether that be now or in the long run.

Below are a few of the most eye-catching rumors surrounding the organization.

Ty Lawson and Goran Dragic

Jeremy Lin, Ronnie Price and Jordan Clarkson have combined to fill the point guard position for the Lakers this season. Clarkson has been decent as a rookie, but the overall combination of the three players has not shown enough promise to lead the team.

ESPN's Chris Broussard reports that Kupchak is looking into a few solutions:

Goran Dragic has suffered from a crowded backcourt situation in Phoenix. Eric Bledsoe and Isaiah Thomas are similar in that they are score-first point guards, meaning Dragic has had difficulty finding the niche he carved for himself last season.

The benefits of Dragic are quite easy to see, even if he isn't playing to his full potential in the desert. He can score with the best of them (he's averaging roughly 18 points per game the last two seasons), and he'll do so efficiently (he shot 50.5 percent from the floor last season and is on his way to a similar mark this year). He's also capable of facilitating, evidenced by his career assists mark of 4.6 per game.

The Lakers' need for a point guard has led them to Dragic, and apparently the interest is mutual, according to Yahoo Sports' Adrian Wojnarowski:

Should a deal for Dragic fall through, though, Los Angeles can look to the Denver Nuggets and Ty Lawson. The 27-year-old is enjoying a career season, averaging 16.9 points and 10.1 assists per game. ESPN.com estimates that he has been worth eight wins to the lowly Nuggets.

He'll command a hefty sum in return. Unlike Dragic—who is a free agent at season's end—Lawson is still under contract for two more seasons, valued at roughly $25 million, per Spotrac.

He might be setting himself up for a trade. He failed to show up for the team's first practice after the All-Star Weekend festivities, reports Christopher Dempsey of The Denver Post. Head coach Brian Shaw spoke about his absence, via Dempsey.

"When we had the coaches meetings this morning, all of the other guys came in and did their shooting," Shaw said. "And we (the coaches) came up right at the start of practice at 11 o'clock and that was the first that I noticed that he wasn't there."

Will this lead to a trade? It depends on how willing to forgive the Denver organization is. If he goes, the Lakers are a possible destination.

Miles Plumlee

Many consider the frontcourt to be a relative strength on the talent-deprived Lakers. Jordan Hill, Tarik Black, Robert Sacre and Ed Davis have played well in spurts this season. Add in the fact that Julius Randle will return healthy next season, and there are at least a few prospects to play in the paint in 2016.

But Kupchak apparently isn't content with his current crop of big men. USA Today's Sam Amick reports that he is looking into another Suns player:

Plumlee, 26, has played only 18.6 minutes per contest this season—a six-minute decrease from last year's playing time. As such, his point and rebound totals have dropped to 4.3 and 5.1, respectively.

But there's still value in his 6'10" frame. While not budding with potential, Plumlee still has yet to reach his peak. The likelihood of him even becoming a player like his brother, Mason, isn't high. That said, he's capable of becoming a fringe starter. At the very least, he's a valuable rotational piece.

The Lakers can offer him enough playing time this season to develop. He's shooting a robust 54.9 percent from the floor, and a frontcourt-deprived team like the Suns surprisingly hasn't given him many opportunities.

Plumlee is the type of acquisition that would actually make sense for a Lakers team that should tank down the stretch. He isn't a difference-maker by any means, but he's a piece that Kupchak can use in the future.

It shouldn't take much to grab him—possibly a second-round pick and an expiring contract—so look for Kupchak to try and grab him.

Follow Kenny DeJohn on Twitter: @kennydejohn