As seems to always be the case, the Los Angeles Lakers find themselves at the center of trade rumors as the NBA trade deadline nears. Whether they be around the currently-rostered Russell Westbrook, or desired players like Jerami Grant and Myles Turner, the team has been active behind the scenes.
Those rumors will likely continue right up to the trade deadline, which is on Feb. 10 at 12 p.m. PT this year. But for as active as the front office may be on the phones, there will be a number of factors inhibiting Rob Pelinka and Co.’s ability to be heavy movers at the deadline.
For one, in trading for Westbrook, the team aggregated effectively all of its most tradeable contracts, leaving them with few other contracts that aren’t either maximum contracts or veteran’s minimums. Outside of LeBron James, Anthony Davis and Westbrook, only Talen Horton-Tucker and Kendrick Nunn are not making the veteran’s minimum this season.
As a result, any trade for Grant, Turner or another player impact player in that similar vein will likely require trading away both Nunn and Horton-Tucker. It’s a decision the Lakers have certainly weighed as they’ve begun making calls in the days and weeks leading up to the deadline. Add in whether or not the team will move Russ, and you have the recipe for a fascinating deadline for the team.
Below, we will be keeping an updating list of stories featuring the latest news and rumors about the Lakers’ efforts on the trade market. So bookmark this page if you want to see the players the Lakers were most recently connected to, which players they might be offering to other teams, and everything else in between.
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