Lakers Trade Rumors: Hornets ‘aggressively pursuing’ Lou Williams trade, according to report

Magic Johnson is starting his tenure as Los Angeles Lakers President of Basketball Operations in a pretty nice spot: A point of leverage in trade negotiations. Lou Williams is playing really good basketball on a very workable contract, a combination sure to catch other GMs’ eyes.

According to several reports, the Indiana Pacers, Utah Jazz and Washington Wizards have all shown interest in Williams, with a new name being added to the list just now.

ESPN’s Chris Haynes is reporting the Charlotte Hornets have thrown their hat into the ring, creating something that quite frankly should be televised: A trade negotiation between Michael Jordan and Magic Johnson.

At this point, given how much interest is out there with Williams, it would be legitimately shocking if he was still on the Lakers roster after Thursday’s deadline. He’s among the best players actually available at his position and would provide a scoring punch off the bench to a playoff contender.

Williams obviously won’t win anyone a championship, but at his pay rate, given how efficiently he’s played, he’s a worthwhile gamble for a team willing to give up a long-term asset to improve their immediate chances.

If nothing else, we get adorable quotes like this, from Magic.

Let’s hope this trade can wind up being defined by Magic as “wheeling, dealing and stealing”.

For more of our thoughts on trades, check out the latest episode of Locked on Lakers: