Lakers Trade Rumors: Hottest Reports Surrounding Los Angeles

The buzz surrounding the Los Angeles Lakers just never quite seems to die down. Even when the team is performing poorly—as it has since LeBron James was first injured—the Lakers remain in the national spotlight.

There are a few reasons for this. One is that Los Angeles is a huge market that plays nationally (at least in basketball). The presence of James is another reason. Perhaps the biggest reason, though, is that the Lakers are looking to get back into title contention sooner than later and are a constant threat to make a move to improve.

Just take Tuesday night's acquisition of Reggie Bullock as an example. The Lakers wanted to add an outside shooter to their roster, so they traded away a second-round draft pick and guard Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk to Detroit in order to get it.

According to Tania Ganguli of the Los Angeles Times, Bullock may make his Lakers debut as soon as Sunday against the Philadelphia 76ers.

This, of course, isn't quite the blockbuster trade that Lakers fans have been hoping for. They are desperately hoping Los Angeles can pair another big-time player with James in order to make a playoff run this season.

What might Los Angeles' next move look like? Let's dig into some of the latest buzz.

Lakers Waiting to Hear Back from New Orleans

The big trade that Lakers fans would love to see is the one that brings Anthony Davis to Los Angeles. The six-time All-Star has made it clear that he doesn't wish to remain with the New Orleans Pelicans beyond his current contract and that he would prefer to be traded.

The problem for the Lakers is that if they wait until the offseason, the level of competition for Davis will be even stiffer than it is right now. For one, the Boston Celtics will be permitted to trade for him, which they cannot currently do.

Davis and Kyrie Irving both signed extensions under the NBA's "Rose Rule" and teams cannot trade for such a player if one is already on the roster and still under that extension. If Irving declines his player option for the 2019-20 season, the Celtics will be free to pursue Davis.

The Lakers would prefer not to bid against the Celtics for Davis in the offseason. for now, they appear done bidding against themselves. Los Angeles has made several different offers to the Pelicans and will now wait to hear back on a counter-offer, according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski:

New Orleans, of course, has no reason to accept a marginal offer before the trade deadline when it can pit Boston and Los Angeles against each other over the summer.

Tatum Could Be Part of Boston's Offer

One reason why the Lakers are incentivized to get a deal done before the deadline is this: The Celtics can offer the Pelicans something in the offseason that the Lakers can not—a legitimate young superstar. 

According to Sam Amick of The Athletic, the Celtics and Pelicans have discussed making former third-overall pick Jayson Tatum part of a potential deal. As Amick explains, Boston would be willing to let Tatum go because it believes it could then pair Irving and Davis for the long haul.

"Get Davis this summer, and the Celtics would be very confident about Irving resisting those Knicks urges and re-signing in Boston," Amick wrote. "What's more, there's a strong sense in Celtics circles that securing Irving would be the key to convincing Davis to commit for the long term as well."

The Lakers have included young players like Lonzo Ball and Brandon Ingram, but none of them seem to interest the Pelicans the way Tatum does.

Celtics Not Worried About Losing Irving to Lakers

If the Lakers cannot land Davis before the trade deadline, it might make sense for them to instead pursue Irving after he voids his player option. A year ago, the prospect of reuniting James and Irving would have seemed ludicrous, but the two former Cleveland Cavaliers teammates seem to have patched things up.

"We're in a good place right now," James said, per Joe Vardon of The Athletic.

We already know that Irving and James can be the foundation of a championship team, and adding Irving would derail Boston's plans to unite him and Davis. Such a move may ultimately give the Lakers their best chance to acquire the Pelicans star.

This isn't, however, a scenario that the Celtics are concerned with. According to Amick, Boston is only really worried about losing Irving to the New York Knicks.

"Boston is known to believe that the Lakers aren't a threat to steal him away," Amick wrote of Irving.

If the Lakers are smart, they'll figure out a way to capitalize on Boston's overconfidence.