Ranking the most likely Lakers players that will be traded this season

By Jason Reed | Jan 15, 2022

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - JANUARY 09: Head coach Frank Vogel of the Los Angeles Lakers looks on during the fourth quarter against the Memphis Grizzlies at Crypto.com Arena on January 09, 2022 in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Katelyn Mulcahy/Getty Images) /

3 of 6

(Photo by Meg Oliphant/Getty Images) /

4. The group of “thrown in” Los Angeles Lakers

Nearly every NBA trade involves players who are only thrown into the trade to make the salaries match to abide by the NBA’s trade rules. The Lakers have quite a few expiring contracts that don’t have any sort of trade value on their own but they do have value to make a trade possible.

These players would be thrown into the deal with the sole purpose of making money match. The Lakers are not going to get any kind of return for these players. They are merely pieces of the puzzle.

That list includes:

Kent Bazemore, Dwight Howard, Wayne Ellington, Avery Bradley

Not all of these players will be traded and the most likely to be lumped into a bigger deal by LA is Bazemore and Howard. There were already reports of the team wanting to trade those two players for an open roster spot so if they can throw them into another deal then they definitely will.

Ellington and Bradley are safer than Bazemore and Howard but are not completely safe. If the Lakers make multiple moves at the deadline and are getting depth in return then Ellington and Bradley are the next to go.

Meanwhile, the likes of Malik Monk, Austin Reaves and Stanley Johnson are safe. There is one notable player that we did not mention, though…

Home/Lakers Rumors