If not for the Philadelphia 76ers, the Los Angeles Lakers would have the worst record in the entire NBA, but for now, they are in last place in the Western Conference. That being said, there are a number of rumors going around right now, and a lot of them have to do with possible trades that could end up happening before the deadline in February.
The LA Lakers are sitting with a record of 4-21, and they also know that this will be the last season they ever have with their leader. Kobe Bryant has officially announced he will retire after this season is over, and the team has already started a youth movement to rebuild.
That being said, the team realizes that they are in big trouble right now and may end up making a number of moves before the NBA trade deadline in February. One thing they truly need is bigger cap space, and that could be accomplished by some of the proposed or rumored moves.
Christian Today is reporting that one possible trade could see Nick Young and Ryan Kelly head to the Milwaukee Bucks for possibly O.J. Mayo and Miles Plumlee.
Young has seen his minutes diminish this season with younger players such as Jordan Clarkson and D’Angelo Russell getting the bulk of the playing time. This isn’t the first time that both Young and Kelly have been mentioned in trade rumors, so it is not surprising to see them move.
According to Yibida , there actually could be a number of other names talked about in proposed trade discussions. Brandon Bass is one of them , and one of the newest LA Lakers’ name has been connected to a possible trade with the Utah Jazz.
Currently, the Utah Jazz are in ninth place in the West and need to alter some things in order to stay in the playoff hunt. Word has gone around that the Lakers are open to trading Bass, Roy Hibbert, and Lou Williams – all three who are new with the team this season.
Bass would end in a reserve role for the Jazz, but that’s alright by them and actually what the team needs.
One name that is quite shocking to hear come up in trade rumors for the LA Lakers is that of guard Jordan Clarkson.
For now, they’re nothing but rumors, but considering that the Lakers are rebuilding and Clarkson is one of the young players they’re very high on. The thing is, the Jazz would likely prefer to receive Clarkson in a trade over Lou Williams, but the Lakers’ asking price may be too high.
If LA did agree to trade Clarkson to Utah, he could fit in well and become an instant leader on that team.
For the Lakers, they may be able to land big-man Derrick Favors from the Jazz if they agree to trade away Clarkson. Favors could easily be a forward/center hybrid for the Lakers and give them a lot of strength in the lane.
One proposed trade has the Lakers sending Roy Hibbert, Brandon Bass, and Clarkson to Utah while the Jazz would ship Favors and Trey Burke to Los Angeles. It’s a trade that may consider some looking into, but it’s not set in stone as of yet.
The NBA trade deadline is not until February 18, 2016, but the LA Lakers have rumors circulating because they may want to make some moves now. This season already looks lost and rebuilding is what they need to do, even if it means a complete and total facelift.
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