Lakers Trade Rumors: Pistons Could Offer Avery Bradley, Stanley Johnson For Jordan Clarkson In Proposed Deal
Recent Lakers trade rumors have emerged saying that the Detroit Pistons could offer wingmen Avery Bradley and Stanley Johnson to the Los Angeles Lakers for substitute guard Jordan Clarkson.
The Pistons started the season strong, tearing to a 14-6 record at the end of November, to begin their contention. However, they have mellowed since then and are currently ninth in the Eastern Conference with a 22-21 slate. The team had been in the playoffs only once in the last eight years and are said to be aiming to go back to the postseason again this year.
Detroit is currently missing the services of its starting point guard, Reggie Jackson, as the former Boston College standout suffered a Grade 3 right ankle sprain the day after Christmas. Jackson could be out for six to eight weeks, according to team doctors, and the Pistons are reportedly looking for a way to patch things up during the stretch.
After their third straight loss on Wednesday night, a 96-91 road defeat at the hands of the Toronto Raptors, the Pistons are now 3-6 without Jackson.
The Detroit News‘ Rod Beard said that Pistons general manager Jeff Bower had been recently “using his phone” to peruse potential trades that could help the squad “ride out the storm” caused by their current player injuries.
Aside from Jackson, three other Pistons players are reportedly having injury issues, namely Avery Bradley (groin), Stanley Johnson (hip), and rookie Luke Kennard (thumb). Of the three, Bradley and Johnson were rumored to be on the trading block.
Beard noted, though, that no potential deal is “tantalizing” for Detroit at the moment, although it is expected that the club would make a key trade before the February 8 deadline to sustain their playoff hunt in the second half of the season.
FanSided’s Piston Powered blog suggested a scenario that would send Lakers combo guard Jordan Clarkson to the Pistons in exchange for both Bradley and Johnson. The suggestion came from a Pistons fan who posted it on Twitter using ESPN’s NBA Trade Machine.
The blog said that Clarkson is a “good enough point guard” that would help Detroit stay competitive moving forward. The deal would also free up more minutes for Kennard and would establish Reggie Bullock as head coach Stan Van Gundy’s starter at the three spot.
Meanwhile, Bradley and Johnson are projected to shore up the Lakers’ wing depth behind Brandon Ingram and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope. Bradley is set to become an unrestricted free agent this summer, while Johnson will enter restricted free-agency at the end of the 2018-2019 season.
