Most likely, five Lakers will be traded by the deadline.Here are the five players who are most likely to be traded before the deadline because the Lakers are once again the subject of trade rumors.The Lakers are once again the focus of trade rumors, so these five players are the most likely to be dealt before the deadline.The Lakers, with their lackluster record, players on team-friendly contracts, and ambition to contend for championship number 18, have been the subject of numerous trade rumors.
With taurean prince and Gabe Vincent out of the picture, they are at.500 and in reasonably good shape, but it appears they will need to move quickly to have a chance at winning the title in the West.
The Lakers will need to trade away important rotation players if they hope to pull off any of these moves, as they are reportedly in talks with the Atlanta Hawks for Dejoute murray and have been linked to players like Tyus Jones and Bruce Brown Jr.
LeBron James and Anthony Davis will undoubtedly be on this roster, and the Lakers have made it clear that Austin Reaves is virtually untouchable. That leaves the Lakers with about a dozen players that they could still trade for.
Which ones, though, are most likely to be exchanged?
The players who are most likely to be traded before the deadline are listed here.
Russell is the most likely to be traded because his name has been mentioned in almost every Lakers trade rumor this season. The rationale is evident: he has a player option for the upcoming season and just one year remaining on his contract, and his $17 million can help match the proposed deal for Dejounte Murray.
It is difficult to imagine a situation in which he remains with the team and the Lakers are obligated to pay his contract for the upcoming campaign. If he is, though, it will be because teams overpaid for Russell, and the value they received in return doesn’t equal his output as a starting point guard or improve the team.
This season, Rui has battled injuries and experienced several role changes. Although Davis may want Hachimura to “get back” to being himself, what if his best has already been experienced by the Lakers and he has regressed to his usual self?
Despite being unemployed and earning $15 million, Hachimura is still regarded as a valuable player in the league and could be included in a package deal for a guard upgrade.
Fans love the Baby Lakers, but Jalen Hood-Schifino hasn’t seen as much NBA action or affection on this team. That was always going to be the situation with a team that wants to be competitive and does not have the luxury of time to overlook the mistakes that an NBA rookie point guard frequently makes.
Hood-Schifino is on a rookie contract, so you won’t get a lot of money in exchange for him, but he’s an intriguing prospect who might be enough to cap off a trade that convinces a team like the Nets to package Dorian Finney-Smith to the Lakers, for example.
Count Gabe Vincent among the Miami Heat players the Lakers shouldn’t have signed. Similar to Nunn, Vincent also had what was thought to be a minor injury that ultimately required surgery on his left knee, which he is currently recovering from.
He was unimpressive even when he did play, averaging just 5.4 points and making a pitiful 11% of three-pointers. Not the best choice for the player you brought along with your mid-level exemption.
Even though Vincent isn’t the most interesting player to sign, he is anticipated to make a comeback this season despite his history of injuries and poor health. If a team wants to sign him, the Lakers might be open to moving him if they think he’ll be healthy enough to play next season.
Jaxson Hayes, come on down! Speaking of players the Lakers should be willing to move!
This season, he was supposed to take on the role of JaVale McGee for the Lakers. All he needed to do was finish at the rim and show some energy, but he lacks McGee’s defensive prowess and is not very good at setting screens.
Christian Wood, who has performed far better than Hayes during his shifts, has recently taken away his playing time. Hayes may therefore be involved in a trade even though many teams won’t want him, just to allow the Lakers to clear his roster and add a contributor, as Damian Jones did in the Russell Westbrook trade last season.
In order to persuade a team to complete a deal, the Lakers may need to part with some draft assets, most likely a second-round pick, as Hayes also has a player option for the upcoming campaign.
The Lakers may need to give up some draft assets, most likely a second-round pick, in order to convince a team to finalize a deal because Hayes has a player option for the next season.
These five Lakers are the most likely to be traded, but there are still a lot of trade scenarios involving other Lakers that could occur in the time remaining before the deadline.
