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The Los Angeles Lakers were connected to a ton of players and teams in the lead-up to the NBA trade deadline, but ultimately couldn’t get a deal done, according to multiple reports.
Original story (and tracker) follows. Stay tuned to Silver Screen and Roll for more updates on the fallout from all this, and feel free to continue chatting throughout the day below.
With the NBA trade deadline fast approaching, teams have a fast-approaching cutoff date to make deals. This season, the deadline falls on Feb. 10 but as we all know, Lakers trade rumors started to flow fast well before then.
Considering the state of the Lakers and their current roster, a trade feels likely, whether a big move that sees them cash in on the likes of Talen Horton-Tucker, Kendrick Nunn and their 2027 first round draft pick, or a shuffling of the deck further down the roster with the team’s role players and those who are out of the rotation.
And as is always the case, the Lakers find themselves in the middle of all sorts of trade rumors. In an effort to sort through all those reports, we’ll be tracking all the (reputable) rumors connecting the Lakers to various trade targets, as well as keeping an eye on players currently on the roster they may be looking to send out.
Players the Lakers might acquire
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John Wall
- One of the more off-the-wall (pun intended) rumors — even if it’s come from respected reporters — involves the Lakers potentially swapping Russell Westbrook for John Wall, but only for the price of a first-round pick they don’t seem willing to include.
- As of Thursday morning, the two sides continue to be at an impasse.
Gary Trent Jr.
- The Lakers have scoured the market far and wide in search of upgrades, with one report indicating they’ve looked into acquiring Gary Trent Jr. from the Raptors.
- However, as of Thursday morning, Michael Scotto of HoopsHype reported that the Raptors shot that idea down.
Cam Reddish
- The Lakers are reportedly in talks with the Knicks and Raptors on a deal that would see them get Reddish on the eve of the deadline.
- However, that deal got more complicated when part of it, Goran Dragic, was traded elsewhere in a separate deal.
Alec Burks
- Burks may be on the way over from the Knicks as well, as he is being discussed as part of the same multi-team deal above.
Terrence Ross
- A player seemingly perpetually on the trade market, the Lakers haven’t been directly linked to Terrence Ross yet — at least not this year — but fellow teams expect them to go after the Magic wing.
- While it’s not a name the team has been prominently linked to, that Ross’ name keeps coming up in regards to players the Lakers are pursuing seems noteworthy.
Eric Gordon
- If the Lakers are going to acquire a shooter this trade deadline, it could be veteran Eric Gordon who may be the player the Lakers settle on with the package of Talen Horton-Tucker, Kendrick Nunn and 2027 first-round pick.
Myles Turner
- Prior to his injury, the Lakers were linked repeatedly to Myles Turner. However, given the fact he likely will not be available until after the trade deadline, links to the Lakers — and other teams — have died down for Turner and the Pacers.
- However, that hasn’t stopped one enterprising TikTok model from attempting to lure Turner to the Lakers with promises of a date. Yes, really.
- Unfortunately for her, it appears that the Domantas Sabonis trade has Turner primed and pleased to stay with the Pacers.
Jerami Grant
- The player perhaps most connected to the Lakers after the months leading up to the trade deadline. The Lakers have made inquiries on Jerami Grant, but they’ve been rebuked, and the most recent report is the two sides have moved on from a deal.
Harrison Barnes
- A player many fans want the Lakers to pursue, the Lakers haven’t been linked too heavily to Harrison Barnes, other than a report indicating they have explored the idea of trading for him.
Players the Lakers might trade away
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Russell Westbrook
- While it seems the Lakers shopped Westbrook early in the season, a lack of interest in the guard means it’s unlikely the team will trade him at the deadline.
- As the season continues to spiral with Westbrook seemingly at the center, the Lakers are still reportedly split on whether to deal him at the deadline.
- With the deadline fast approaching, the Rockets are holding firm in their insistence on the Lakers including their 2027 first round draft pick in a swap of Westbrook and John Wall. The Knicks, meanwhile, don’t appear interested in making a deal for Westbrook either.
An Eighth Grader
- The one draft pick the Lakers can trade this deadline is their 2027 first round pick — or more specifically a pick that will be used on someone currently in the eighth grade — but the team reportedly is not interested in including it in deals.
Talen Horton-Tucker
- The Lakers have offered Horton-Tucker around the league for any number of players — including the aforementioned Reddish and Burks — but his disappointing season has effectively nullified his trade value.
- One year removed from the Lakers not including Talen Horton-Tucker in a potential trade for Kyle Lowry, the league now only reportedly views the young guard as a “marginal asset.”
- Horton-Tucker’s trade value has fallen so steeply that he’s no longer seen as the Lakers top trade asset, that now being the team’s 2027 first round pick.
- Just to continue dampening the mood, the market has reportedly “significantly cooled” on Horton-Tucker this season as the Lakers’ attempts to package him with Kendrick Nunn and a draft pick for a two-way player continue.
Kendrick Nunn
- Someone the Lakers envisioned having a big role this season, Kendrick Nunn likely will not suit up for the Lakers before the trade deadline. As a result, it’s not surprising that the team has both shopped him around as part of a package with Horton-Tucker, or that no one has been particularly interested in said package.
- The Lakers are wholly open to trading Horton-Tucker, Nunn and a draft pick in a deal, but are finding it hard to locate a suitable player and team to work with.
- Nunn may be included in the Reddish/Burks deal mentioned above, per Scotto.
Kent Bazemore
- One of the more unexpectedly disappointing signings of the offseason, Kent Bazemore has been a relative non-factor this season, and while the team is looking to offload him, they don’t want to have to attach a pick to do it.
- The Lakers are reportedly looking to find Bazemore a “new home” after he’s fallen out of favor in LA.
- If the Lakers can’t find a deal for Bazemore by the deadline, he could be bought out to open up a roster spot.
DeAndre Jordan
- One of the more expectedly disappointing signings of the offseason, DeAndre Jordan has been actively bad this season, but the team also does not want to include a pick to offload him.
- The Lakers are willing to include cash in a deal to offload Jordan (or Bazemore) to open up a roster spot, similar to what they did with Rajon Rondo.
Dwight Howard
- According Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report, Howard — along with Kent Bazemore and DeAndre Jordan — is being offered around to teams looking for cheap veteran help.
Players the Lakers were linked to who were traded elsewhere
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Josh Richardson
- Even if it appeared to come from a green-tinted source, the Lakers reportedly offered a package of Talen Horton-Tucker and a first-round pick for Josh Richardson.
- However, that leaking got Boston the improved offer they wanted from the Spurs, who traded Derrick White for Richardson.
Ben Simmons
- By far the least likely trade target, the Lakers explored trading for Ben Simmons, but the Sixers had no interest in Westbrook, who would have to be included in the deal to make the swap work financially.
- Simmons was later traded for James Harden, ending any dim hopes of the Lakers acquiring him.
Paul Millsap
- While not technically a trade target, Paul Millsap was seen as a potential buyout target for the Lakers depending on how his situation played out in Brooklyn.
- However, he was sent to the Sixers in the blockbuster Harden deal instead.
Buddy Hield
- Having come within a whisker of trading for him last summer, the Lakers have reportedly kept tabs on Buddy Hield, and even offered Talen Horton-Tucker for him.
- However, Hield was dealt to the Pacers as part of the Domantas Sabonis trade.
For more Lakers talk, subscribe to the Silver Screen and Roll podcast feed on iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher or Google Podcasts. You can follow Jacob on Twitter at @JacobRude.
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