Lakers Tried To Land Dion Waiters, Remain Active In Trade Talks
By Jacob Rude
With the team struggling and assets ready to be off-loaded, here’s the latest updates on the Lakers trade rumors.
On Monday night, the Cleveland Cavaliers pulled off a stunning three-team trade that saw them ship out Dion Waiters to the Thunder and welcome in guards J.R. Smith and Iman Shumpert from the Knicks.
According to Ramona Shelburne, the Lakers attempted to land Waiters before he was dealt to Oklahoma City.
Lakers were among teams that had tried to get Waiters. Cle wasn't looking for just salary relief tho & Shump more valuable than Sacre
— Ramona Shelburne (@ramonashelburne) January 6, 2015
As you may recall, the Cavaliers had inquired on the availability of Robert Sacre this summer, but the Lakers rebuffed the offers. After losing Anderson Varejao, the two sides apparently discussed a deal, but nothing of note came of it.
Late Monday night/Tuesday morning, Shelburne also tweeted more Cleveland/Lakers news about past attempts for Waiters as well as news that the Lakers were still active in the trade market, though.
@Lakerholicz They tried to get him last year too. And Thunder and Clippers tried to get Shumpert. Both guys have been on the block
— Ramona Shelburne (@ramonashelburne) January 6, 2015
@RyanKelapire @Lakerholicz Yes.
— Ramona Shelburne (@ramonashelburne) January 6, 2015
Not surprisingly, Shelburne fell silent after that, but it’s a news-worthy note that the Lakers are active and not content with the situation they currently find themselves in.
That situation sees the Lakers sitting with an 11-24 record. While that is currently good enough for the 5th spot in the draft lottery, there’s very little leeway between the 4th spot and the 8th spot with just two wins separating the five teams.
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On top of that, the Lakers have some nice pieces to work with. Ed Davis has been arguably the best bargain signing of the summer across the league. Coming to LA on the veteran’s minimum, forward/center has averaged 8.2 points, 7.1 rebounds and 1.2 blocks in 24.1 minutes a game this season. However, since moving to the starting line-up in early December, Davis has scored more (10.4 points a game) despite a small drop in rebounds (6.9 a game).
Another trade candidate is Jordan Hill. His large contract could expire this summer as his has a team option. The catch is that, with the team option for next year, Hill has veto power on any trade. The simplest way around that is to pick up the option for next season, thus taking away Hill’s veto power, but guaranteeing the $9 million next year.
There remains the possibility that Hill could approve the trade, which is a likely one assuming he is dealt to a contender. On the season, Hill is averaging a career high 11.7 points, 7.9 rebounds, 1.4 assists, and 28.6 minutes a contest and is coming off arguably his best game of the year in Portland where he put up 23 points and 13 rebounds.
Other interesting trade chips include Jeremy Lin, whose deal expires this summer, and Steve Nash, whose contract also expires this summer, but is mostly covered by insurance this year due to his season-ending injury. It’s likely that any player not named Kobe Bryant, Julius Randle, or Nick Young is available, and even the latter two might leave in the right deal (although it’d have to be a HUGE deal in favor of the Lakers).
Do you think the Lakers will be active at the trade deadline? Let us know down below!