New Lakers Trade Rumors Reveal Players LA Has 'Dangled' on Market with Expiring Contracts
The Los Angeles Lakers are currently seeking "3-and-D wing help" ahead of February's trade deadline, per Michael Scotto of HoopsHype, and are reportedly willing to move a few players to facilitate such a move.
Per that report, "the Lakers have dangled the expiring contracts of Rui Hachimura ($18.26 million), Gabe Vincent ($11.5 million), and Maxi Kleber ($11 million) on the trade market."
The Lakers probably would prefer to keep the 27-year-old Hachimura, who has been a solid role player on the wing for them, averaging 12.6 points per game while shooting 43.9 percent from three. But he's easily the most valuable of the bunch and his contract may be required for salary-purposes, so it's easy to see why he'd be listed.
Vincent, 29, has not had a great run in Los Angeles, averaging just 5.6 points and 1.4 assists in parts of three seasons. Luka Dončić, Austin Reaves and Marcus Smart are all better options in the backcourt, and moving Vincent for more wing depth would make sense.
Kleber, 33, is a deeper rotation at this point and has appeared in just 20 games. The Lakers have ample frontcourt options, including Deandre Ayton, Drew Timme, Jaxson Hayes and Jake LaRavia, making Kleber an easy option to ship out for salary-matching purposes.
Just how active the Lakers will be in the trade market remains to be seen, though it's hard to imagine them making a big splash given their limited assets. Adding more complementary role players for Dončić and LeBron James will likely be the approach instead.
