Some of the latest Los Angeles Lakers rumors this summer have tied the teams to players who have already come off the market. With options dwindling in NBA free agency, the Lakers are reportedly now turning their focus to possible trades.
Los Angeles entered this offseason with a plan. LeBron James opted out of the final year of his contract and would take a significant discount if the Lakers landed one of a handful of players. All three of those targets – James Harden (Los Angeles Clippers), Jonas Valanciunas (Washington Wizards) and Klay Thompson (Dallas Mavericks) – landed elsewhere.
With those options off the board, the team’s focus shifted. James is still expected to return, re-signing for the max (three years, $162 million) to finish his career in Los Angeles. As for what the team does next, Lakers rumors point to a trade.
According to Jovan Buha of The Athletic , the Lakers have held trade talks in decent days with the Portland Trail Blazers, Utah Jazz and Brooklyn Nets.
“It’s too early to write the Lakers off, of course. There’s always a chance they pull a rabbit out of a hat with a trade or signing. They have been active in recent days, discussing potential deals with Portland, Brooklyn and Utah, among other teams, according to league and team sources.”
Based on recent NBA trade rumors, it’s easier to identify some of the Lakers trade targets in talks with other teams. Following the failed sign-and-trade with Golden State for Thompson, Los Angeles is now exploring two different routes to upgrade its roster.
The first path is obtaining talent directly from another team. Utah is entertaining trade offers for All-Star forward Lauri Markkanen and the belief is there is a real chance he will be moved this summer. However, the asking price is extremely high with teams like the Sacramento Kings, San Antonio Spurs and Golden State Warriors involved in talks .
Jerami Grant stats : 21 PPG, 3.5 RPG, 2.8 APG, 45.1% FG, 40.2% 3PT, 2.1 3PM per game
Another option would be acquiring Jerami Grant from Portland. The 30-year-old would provide the scoring (21 PPG) and perimeter shooting (40.3% 3PT) that Los Angeles is looking for. With the Portland Trail Blazers still rebuilding, there’s a willingness to move him.
The other possibility is using a trade with another team to create cap space. Brooklyn is interested in D’Angelo Russell and if the two sides could agree to a deal, it would open up enough room for the Lakers to sign DeMar DeRozan.
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