The Los Angeles Lakers have the second worst record in the entire NBA, and they know that this is already close enough to a lost season. Getting into the playoffs is almost impossible at this point, and the rebuilding has already begun. After this season, Kobe Bryant will be retiring, and the team has already started rebuilding. Now, there are rumors that a couple big trades could happen in the next month with either David Lee or Joakim Noah heading to LA.
As of Wednesday, the Lakers are 9-31 and in last place in the Western Conference. Things simply aren’t going to get better with Roy Hibbert, Lou Williams, Brandon Bass, and many of the young players they have in place already. Changes need to be made, and there are many trade options out there.
Movie News Guide is reporting that both David Lee of the Boston Celtics and Joakim Noah of the Chicago Bulls are players the Lakers could be targeting.
Back in late December, there were already talks that the Chicago Bulls could look to trade away Noah, Aaron Brooks, and possibly Kirk Hinrich. Each will see their contract up at the end of this season, and the Bulls may want to get something in return for them before they just leave.
It was around the final week of the year that Joakim Noah got a small tear in his left shoulder, but it appears to not bother him much. CBS Sports is reporting that Noah is still unhappy with his position on the team, and the starting center may welcome a trade.
The combination of Pau Gasol and Nikola Mirotic is smaller and quicker, but Noah doesn’t appear to be on board with this move. Noah isn’t getting the minutes he wants and the Lakers could truly benefit from bringing him into Los Angeles.
David Lee played a mere 16 minutes against the Memphis Grizzlies this past Sunday, and he didn’t appear to show anything that merits him playing more in the future. Fansidedis reporting that he shouldn’t even be in the rotationanymore, and that is after the Grizzlies’ game, which was his first on-court time in four games.
Players such as Tyler Zeller, Jared Sullinger, and Jonas Jerebko can give more production in more minutes, and that means even less of Lee is needed.
Right now, the younger players on the Lakers could very well learn from the leadership qualities of David Lee and what he brings to a team. Even if his production doesn’t improve, trading for him could easily help educate those that are new to the NBA.
As for players that could be heading out of Los Angeles, Youth Health Maghas pointed out some of the trades that the Cleveland Cavaliers may look to do before the trade deadline. There are a few players that could be heading out of the Eastern Conference leaders, and they may be looking at Swaggy P.
Nick Young has been the subject of trade rumors in Los Angeles for the last year, but nothing has ever become of it. Currently, Young is averaging a mere 7.9 points-per-game, which is his lowest since his rookie year of 2007 with Washington.
He has also matched career lows in assists-per-game and is pulling down an average of just 1.6 rebounds-per-game. Those numbers may not be attractive to many teams, but he has proven his worth in the past and could elevate his stats with more playing time and in another scheme.
The LA Lakers are the subject of numerous trade rumors right now, but the NBA’s deadline is quickly approaching. Nick Young could be on his way out, and it is possible that David Lee or Joakim Noah could find themselves in a new home in Los Angeles.
[Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images]