Lakers Trade Rumors: Jordan Clarkson, Julius Randle, Larry Nance on the Block

The Los Angeles Lakers are reportedly looking to trade some of their younger players in an effort to "shed salary for summer free agency."  

Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.com reported the news Monday, noting the Lakers have made Julius Randle and Larry Nance Jr. available in potential trades. Wojnarowski also wrote "there's a mutual desire to find something sooner than later" when discussing a possible Jordan Clarkson trade even though Los Angeles was previously hoping to wait until the end of the season.

Wojnarowski acknowledged the Lakers have "given up hope" of trading Luol Deng because they would also have to attach too many draft picks for another team to take on the "full balance of the $37 million owed."

Wojnarowski predicted the Lakers will have to use the waive and stretch to clear the cap space Deng's contract is occupying with the only way to avoid it being a situation in which he was "so desperate to leave Los Angeles before season's end to sign elsewhere on a minimum deal that he'd forfeit the $18.8 million on the 2019-20 season of his contract and accept a buyout."

Los Angeles is 12-27 and going nowhere fast this season, although the future is still bright with a young core and the possibility of attracting free agents this offseason if it clears the necessary cap space.

LeBron James immediately comes to mind, especially since he owns multiple houses in the Los Angeles area. Any team that adds James instantly becomes a contender considering he is a four-time league MVP and three-time champion who has been to the last seven NBA Finals with the Cleveland Cavaliers and Miami Heat.

He has a player option on his contract for the 2018-19 season, as does Oklahoma City Thunder forward Paul George. They can both exercise the options and become free agents, giving the Lakers high-profile players to target in an effort to reach the playoffs for the first time since the 2012-13 season.

George—a California native—even said as recently as Tuesday he "would have loved to go back home and play for my city" when discussing the chances the Lakers could have traded for him before the Thunder did, per The Oklahoman’s Erik Horne.

Even if Los Angeles traded Clarkson, Randle and Nance, it would still have young pieces in place to build around.

Point guard Lonzo Ball (2017) and forward Brandon Ingram (2016) were the last two No. 2 overall picks, and rookie Kyle Kuzma has developed into an offensive playmaker with 17.1 points per game this season.

Adding someone like James or George to that group would make the Lakers a formidable threat in the Western Conference, which explains their desire to make a trade or two in an effort to free up cap space.