Los Angeles Lakers: 3 small forward trade candidates
By Ethan Temkin
2.) Vince Carter
Even though Vince Carter is more of a buyout candidate at this point in time than a trade candidate, the Lakers can get ahead of that possibility by trading for him. The 42-year-old is obviously well past his prime, but given how thin the Lakers are at the small forward position, and how much they need consistent shooting from beyond the arc, Carter may just be the perfect player for them.
Not only does Carter bring his career 37.2% 3-point shooting percentage to the team, but he also brings a tremendous amount of veteran leadership and experience to a team with championship aspirations.
Given Carter’s age, it’s hard to imagine the asking price to be very high from the Hawks. The team has several contracts to match Carter’s $2.5 million salary total, so they can easily make the money work.
But honestly, given that Vince has announced that he will retire at the end of this season, he deserves to be on a title contender for his swan song. He is simply being asked to do too much on an Atlanta team that has lottery aspirations.
If he were to be on the Lakers, he is fully capable of playing spot minutes, hitting the open three, and occasionally wowing the crowd with a vintage Vinsanity moment.