Lakers Rumors: Top Trade Gossip from 2016 NBA All-Star Break
With just a little more than 48 hours to go until the NBA's 3 p.m. ET, Feb. 18 trade deadline, rumors are flying high.
Nearly every team is involved in some kind of trade talks, and the Los Angeles Lakers are no exception. While nothing has happened as of yet, the team is rumored to have made Roy Hibbert, Brandon Bass, Nick Young and Lou Williams all available for trade, per Marc Stein of ESPN.com.
Stein noted that only Hibbert has an expiring contract, but Bass does have a $3.1 million player option for next year.
| 2011-12 | 41-25 | Lost in Conference Semis | Mike Brown |
| 2012-13 | 45-37 | Lost in First Round | Mike Brown /Bernie Bickerstaff/Mike D'Antoni |
| 2013-14 | 27-55 | N/A | Mike D'Antoni |
| 2014-15 | 21-61 | N/A | Byron Scott |
| 2015-16 | 11-44* | N/A | Byron Scott |
Just because these players are available doesn't mean any of them are going anywhere. The Lakers are 11-44 and in last place in the Western Conference with a lot of young players. It's not as if they have an abundance of talent that teams are clamoring to get their hands on.
However, there is some talent among the youth on this team in Jordan Clarkson, D’Angelo Russell, Julius Randle and Larry Nance Jr. The Vertical's Bobby Marks says the Lakers should "hang up" the phone if teams inquire about any of these players.
General manager Mitch Kupchak didn't concede a trade would never happen involving the younger players but did say despite interest from other teams that "we covet our young players pretty highly right now," per TWCSportsnet.com.
One team member who does not seem to be coveted at the moment is veteran Nick Young. The 30-year-old shooting guard is playing just 18.8 minutes per game and averaging a career-low 7.2 points on a team focused on its young players and Kobe Bryant's farewell tour, according to Mark Medina of the LA Daily News.
Young said he is keeping an open mind while hearing rumors about a possible a trade, per Medina:
"I’ll be lying if I said I’m not hearing anything. I don’t know if anything’s going to happen. But I’m being prepared and hoping for the best.
I would love to be on a playoff team and not just be sitting and watching. I would love to be in a playoff atmosphere and be a part of it.
"
Medina said it won't be easy for the Lakers to make that happen:
At this point it seems like no one is safe in Los Angeles when it comes to trying to rebuild the franchise, but it's unlikely any major trade will happen prior to the deadline.
The Lakers just don't have many pieces that are appealing to other teams, and it would make more sense for them to focus on draft picks and use the money they will be saving from not paying Bryant next season to land a free agent or two in the coming years.
