Despite not having pulled the trigger on anything and remaining relatively silent so far, we have our latest update on Lakers rumors, including some calls made on various players.
The Los Angeles Lakers have a small handful of assets in their hands and it appears they may be using them to pull off a blockbuster trade for one of a few stars being dangled out on the trade market.
As for Lakers, they have been very active since 12/15. Made calls on Waiters, Jennings, Monroe. Asst GM Glen Carraro is working the phones.
— Ramona Shelburne (@ramonashelburne) January 12, 2015
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While the Lakers being involved in the trade market is not a surprise, those they are targeting are a bit of a surprise. Most assume the Lakers will unload their players for draft picks to speed up the rebuilding process they are in the middle of.
However, the Lakers have a different mindset, instead looking to pull off a big deal for an improvement on the roster. While none of those named are star players, they are better second options than anything presently on the Lakers.
The idea of the Lakers tanking has long been discussed this season, including by one of our own, but the Lakers front office has been very set in the anti-tanking mode. Jeanie Buss and Mitch Kupchak have been adamant in their public comments that the team did not agree with the mindset behind tanking and losing games on purpose.
However, with a roster lacking and the Lakers circumstances supporting the idea of tanking, it’s hard to argue against it. At the same time, if the Lakers can land one of the names mentioned above or someone similar, it’s easier to attract free agents in the summer, a strategy we also know LA is fond of considering how they handled last summer.