LeBron James-led teams have been known to make midseason moves if something is not clicking by the trade deadline. You can definitely say that something is not clicking with the Los Angeles Lakers, who have struggled to hover around .500 this season without that tough of a schedule.
Nothing about the Lakers right now screams title contender, especially with the way the Phoenix Suns and Golden State Warriors are playing. With the Lakers being 30% through the 2021-22 season, it is safe to say that we have a good idea of what the team is going to be this season.
And if Rob Pelinka is paying attention then he would know that this team is not good enough to win a championship. Thus, moves could be around the corner, especially after December 15, which is when recently-signed players can be traded.
The problem is that the Los Angeles Lakers only have one real trade asset.
Talen Horton-Tucker is the only trade asset of value on the Los Angeles Lakers.
If the Lakers are going to make a trade at the deadline then it is going to have to include Talen Horton-Tucker, who just signed a three-year deal with the team in the offseason. We have already broken down seven potential THT trade packages and it was definitely met with a mixed response.
While I personally don’t see THT being traded, you can definitely break down several reasons why the Lakers should part ways with the 21-year-old. However, there are also compelling reasons against trading him as well.
In this article, we break down all of the reasons for and against the Lakers potentially trading away THT. Let’s start with a reason for trading him… outside of him being the only trade asset, which is obviously a reason for trading him.