Recent Lakers rumors have been about the trade negotiations that took place between the Los Angeles Lakers and the New York Knicks.
While the NBA Trade Deadline has passed, there have still been Lakers rumors about reported deals that were offered prior to the deadline.
For the Lakers, most the deadline day talks were with the New York Knicks about Marcus Morris. Thanks to a great first half of the season, Morris was one of the best players available at the trade deadline, and the Knicks had the two teams from Los Angeles in a bidding war for him.
While there were multiple reports of what was offered by the Lakers to the Knicks, Brad Turner of the Los Angeles Times reported what he heard about the deals.
"The Lakers had been willing to offer Kyle Kuzma and Danny Green, but the Knicks didn’t like that.The Knicks then countered with a deal centered around Kuzma, Avery Bradley, DeMarcus Cousins and at least one second-round pick, but the Lakers rejected that proposal."
This is an interesting development is Turner is correct, as it is surprising that the Lakers would have offered Green and Kuzma in the same package. If that deal went through, the Lakers would have been losing a starter who is one of their best defenders, along with their best young asset.
The second deal for the Lakers that the Knicks countered with wouldn’t have been great either for Morris, but that one does make a bit more sense for the Lakers.
Ultimately, the Lakers and the Knicks did not reach an agreement for a deal to send Morris to the Lakers. The Knicks and the Clippers ended up getting a deal done, as the first-round pick going to the Knicks is pretty valuable for a team that is rebuilding.
With the trade deadline passing, the Clippers and the Lakers will still be battling off the court as players get bought out from their contracts. The Clippers getting Morris was certainly a win for them, but the Lakers really didn’t have the necessary assets to pull off a move without hurting the team in other areas.
It was certainly a wild trade deadline for the Lakers, but not making a move isn’t the end of the world. This is still the team with the best record in the Western Conference, and giving them more games to grow together might result in them improving even more.