NBA Trade Rumors: Andrew Bogut Heading To The Los Angeles Lakers

The Los Angeles Lakers are rumored to be in the process of unloading some of their stars before the trade deadline. It definitely looks like the Lakers are planning to make a big splash in the free agency this year. The process might just begin now, with the acquisition of Andrew Bogut.

The Lakers are in a bit of a pickle both this year and the next. According to Fansided, The Los Angeles Lakers fanbase is already mulling about tanking this season as the grim reality starts to set in that this is going to be another disastrous NBA year. However, the Lakers are going to be in a bit of a bind even for next season. Their draft pick this year could be nabbed by Philadelphia if it lands outside the top three.

Another unfortunate situation that the Lakers are currently mired in is that the team could not offer much to the next crop of free agents. The Lakers are tied to the long and big contracts of Timofey Mozgov and Luol Deng. The Lakers overpaid Deng to a four-year, 18 million-plus deal that ends in the 2019-20 campaign. While they paid Timofey Mozgov 16 million-plus for the same amount of time.

However, a recent article by SB Nation could provide the Lakers a bit of a break when it comes to Mozgov. There are rumblings that a trade between the Dallas Mavericks and the Los Angeles Lakers is quite possible. This one would ship out Timofey Mozgov’s contract and put Andrew Bogut in a Lakers’ jersey.

Andrew Bogut is not pleased with the Dallas Mavericks and he has been very vocal about it. This is a big reason why Bogut has been constantly mired in trade rumors for the past few months. The defensive center has been linked to multiple teams including the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Boston Celtics. But this recent rumor could have him playing ball in the bright lights of Los Angeles.

Timofey Mozgov has not been working out with the Lakers. He just does not fit with the young and dynamic Lakers and is often out of place in the offense. Andrew Bogut won’t be an automatic fit with the Lakers, but at least he is a decent upgrade from Timofey Mozgov in terms of rim protection and anchoring the defense.

Andrew Bogut will also provide the young Lakers some grit and leadership. Bogut has some championship experience with the Golden State Warriors and would be a huge help to the psyche of the juvenile Lakers. Andrew Bogut has a mean streak in him, and it would be nice for the Lakers young core of D’Angelo Russell, Julius Randle, and Brandon Ingram to be infected with it.

Lastly, Andrew Bogut has an expiring contract. If his experiment with the Lakers does not pan out, then they could just let him go in the free agency. If Philadelphia manages to get lucky and steal the draft pick of the Lakers, then at least Los Angeles will find some comfort with the fact that they can attract a lucrative free agent in the offseason.

As for Dallas, getting Mozgov is not exactly a great deal for Bogut’s expiring contract. This means that the Lakers might have to give up some future draft picks in order to get this deal done. However, this might be their only way to get out of Mozgov’s overpriced contract and the team should definitely look into that.

The Lakers are in danger of getting stuck as cellar dwellers of the NBA because of bad contracts. Hopefully, the Lakers can spin at least one of those horrible contracts before the trade deadline.

[Featured Image by LM Otero/AP Images]