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

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)
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)
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(Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
(Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)

2. Kendrick Nunn

Kendrick Nunn has not even played a game for the Los Angeles Lakers this season and that absolutely has an impact on his trade value this season. In fact, there is a very slim chance that the Lakers would even be able to trade Nunn by himself for something. It is more likely that Howard gets traded in a solo deal than it is for Nunn.

However, there is a bigger potential that Nunn is included in a package because of the contract that he has. Nunn signed a Taxpayer’s MLE deal in the offseason, making it really easy to put him in a package to raise the overall money and make a deal work.

If the Lakers make a trade for a bigger player, such as a Jerami Grant, then Nunn is undoubtedly going to be included by necessity alone. It is almost impossible to make a trade like that without Nunn, especially considering a team would still rather have Nunn over simply lumping together three expiring deals.

Nunn still has some value. A team could talk itself into Nunn because of his injury and the fact that he probably opts into his cheap salary next season. Then, in a contract year, Nunn could show a lot of promise next season. A bad team can give him plenty of room to operate and then flip him for more assets to a contender next season.

If Nunn is second on this list then it is pretty obvious who the most likely player to be traded is, especially considering Nunn only gets traded if this other player gets traded.