Lakers Rumors: Top Trade Gossip from 2017 NBA All-Star Break

The Sacramento Kings pulled off one of the more baffling deals in recent memory during the All-Star break, sending DeMarcus Cousins (26 years old, 27.8 points, 10.7 rebounds and 1.3 blocks per game this season) to the New Orleans Pelicans for Buddy Hield, a first-round pick and a few other pieces.

It certainly shakes up the pecking order for the glut of teams hovering around the West's eighth seed, and there could be major ripple effects after a trade like this with the deadline looming Thursday. 

The Los Angeles Lakers—19-39 and second from the bottom in the Western Conference—were reportedly not idle over the weekend and could still make some moves. According to The Vertical's Adrian Wojnarowski, the Lakers had talks with the Kings about Cousins, but they didn't want to move Brandon Ingram to get the deal done: 

This reporting generally fits with comments Monday from Kings general manager Vlade Divac, who said he could have made a better deal than the one he pulled off (essentially the last thing you would want to hear from your team's GM), per CBS Sports' Ananth Pandian: 

It's not certain whether the Lakers rumor was the one Divac was referring to. He could have been thinking of a proposed trade with the Detroit Pistons for Andre Drummond, per Basketball Insiders' Michael Scotto, or any other number of front-office dealings that have yet to come to light.

Considering the low bar set with the Pelicans deal, any number of other trade offers could fit Divac's own criteria.

So the Lakers reportedly didn't land a superstar frontcourt player because they didn't want to move the No. 2 pick in this year's draft along with other considerations. Their unwillingness to move the young guns tapped to be the core of future contender might also be holding up a trade for another big star, per NBC Chicago's Mike Adamle: 

Jimmy Butler has been in the rumor mill for some time now, but the Chicago Bulls aren't going let him go for cents on the dollar like the Pelicans did with Cousins.

Ron Jenkins/Associated Press

The Lakers could move the likes of Ingram or D'Angelo Russell and still have solid young players like Jordan Clarkson and Julius Randle to work alongside a star like Butler, but with another potential lottery pick in next year's draft (assuming they don't surrender it to the Philadelphia 76ers), going full steam ahead with the youth movement is still an attractive option. 

Speaking of that 2017 first-round pick, which has top-three protection, the Lakers might find themselves keeping it after all if they can't (or won't) improve at the end of this season. They own the third-worst record in the league and could stay below the glut of teams threatening free fall (like the Kings) if they jettison a capable veteran like Lou Williams.

According to ESPN New York's Ian Begley, the Utah Jazz are keen on the 30-year-old Williams, who is averaging 12.8 points on 41.8 percent shooting from the floor this year:

Wojnarowski also noted over the All-Star Break that the Washington Wizards could look to snag Williams or a player like him to improve their woeful bench (h/t LakersOutsiders.com's Honi Ahmadian):

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They gotta improve their bench. They feel like if there's a wing player that they can get in the trade market – Lou Williams from the Lakers, they have interest in, Bojan Bogdanovic with the Nets. Washington has shown an inclination to give up a future draft pick – a first round pick – potentially even in this draft to get at a veteran who may even turn out to be a rental for them.

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The Wizards are third in the East and could use a player like Williams to shore up their second unit. The Jazz are fifth in the West, and a scoring boost off the bench would greatly improve their chances of surviving in the knife fight that will be the Western Conference playoffs.

The Lakers could try to deal Williams for a first-rounder, easing some of the concerns of losing their protected pick to the Sixers while simultaneously giving them a better chance of retaining said pick.

It wouldn't be pretty in the short term as the team continues to struggle, but stockpiling assets might be their best option at this point.