The Los Angeles Lakers made their first trade of the NBA season, sending veteran point guard Rajon Rondo to the Cleveland Cavaliers in a three-team trade that also involved the New York Knicks. But, if we know anything about teams that LeBron James is on, this is far from the last trade that will be made.
Los Angeles revamped nearly its entire roster in the offseason, with James, Anthony Davis and Talen Horton-Tucker being the only holdovers from last season. The results have been mixed, at best, as the Lakers are 20-19 on the season.
With championship aspirations, there will be some tweaks in the coming weeks. The Lakers will be as active as possible at the trade deadline, but there aren’t many available moves to make.
Horton-Tucker is really the only asset that Los Angeles has. Kendrick Nunn could also be moved. Other than that, the Lakers have a roster with three max deals and all veteran’s minimum ones.
The trade to acquire Russell Westbrook really handcuffed their maneuverability when it comes to the roster. Unless they trade him, which is unlikely, they will find it hard to build packages. But, they could always be players in the buyout market.
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Los Angeles has always been active after the deadline, signing players that are bought out of their contracts. That could be why they are looking to clear some more roster spots. According to Brian Windhorst, the next veterans the team is looking to trade away are DeAndre Jordan and Kent Bazemore.
Trading Rondo to the Cavaliers enabled the Lakers to open up a roster spot, which very well could go to Stanley Johnson. Johnson played well after joining the team on a hardship waiver because of how many players entered the league’s health and safety protocols.
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His hard-nosed defense was something that endeared him to the coaching staff and teammates and even found his way into the starting lineup. His ability on that end of the court helped the Lakers unlock the ability to play small, which they have found success doing without Anthony Davis in the lineup.
Jordan and Bazemore likely aren’t going to drum up much interest on their own, so they could be included as part of a bigger deal should the Lakers find one. They would assuredly prefer to land with contenders and vie for a title, so they could be on the open market following a deal depending on which team, if any, acquires them.
Make sure to stay tune for up to date rumors surrounding the Lakers. Following the Rajon Rondo trade, it seems likely that Los Angeles could be busy ahead of the NBA trade deadline.
