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Lakers and Clippers reportedly in ‘arms race’ for Marcus Morris, Knicks still trying to get Kyle Kuzma, might need Danny Green to make deal work

There has been a deluge of Lakers trade rumors about Marcus Morris on the eve of the deadline, and Kyle Kuzma and Danny Green have been linked to the deal.

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Graphic via Zain Fahimullah / Silver Screen and Roll

The Los Angeles Lakers were loosely connected to a deal for Marcus Morris yesterday when it leaked that the New York Knicks were interested in acquiring Kyle Kuzma, but during an appearance on ESPN’s “The Jump” on Wednesday, NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski explicitly reported that the Lakers are interested in Morris (as are the LA Clippers):

UPDATE: With around three hours to go until the deadline, the Knicks are still after a Kuzma-for-Morris deal:

How would the Lakers be able to make that kind of deal work when Kuzma makes just under $2 million and Morris makes $15 million? Well, the always plugged in Brad Turner of the Los Angeles Times reported that the feeling is that Danny Green would need to be involved in the deal, with the Knicks likely moving him on to a third team:

Green hasn’t had his best season for the Lakers, but he’s still shooting 37.2% from 3-point range, and the Lakers giving up one of their most effective wing defenders and their only valued young prospect under the age of 25 for... Marcus Morris(???)... would certainly be... a choice. And I’m not the only one who thinks so:

For the record, Morris has been good for New York — averaging nearly 20 points a game while shooting 43.9% from three, but he’s a free agent at the end of the year, and Green and Kuzma would seem to be quite a bit of depth to give up for him if this was the fully completed version of the deal.

UPDATE: And from the sound of Turner’s full report, it appears this leak is coming from the Knicks, with no indication of how much or little willingness the Lakers would actually have to include Green in such a deal:

The Knicks know they’d probably have to take Lakers guard Danny Green in a deal for Morris. But the Knicks would want Green’s $14.3 million salary absorbed by another team.

Anyway, it seems like there is something that has yet to leak out about this deal, or some other context we’re missing, so stay tuned to see how this develops. Right now, this seems strange.

This post may update with more information. You can keep track of every trade rumor involving the Lakers here, and for more Lakers talk, subscribe to the Silver Screen and Roll podcast feed on iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher or Google Podcasts.

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