Lakers Move Talen Horton-Tucker And Others For “Win-Now” Role Player
The Los Angeles Lakers need a lot of help right now and even with Anthony Davis healthy, it is hard to imagine that this team has a real chance to win a title. LeBron James can only do so much at 37-years-old and Russell Westbrook’s fit has not worked out whatsoever for this franchise, so what is next for the struggling Lakers?
They have no draft capital, no valuable assets, and absolutely no cap space, so the Lakers’ options at the trade deadline are limited.
However, they did just give Talen Horton-Tucker a three-year, $30.7M deal this past offseason and could use him as leverage to bring in another key talent. Combining the salaries of Horton-Tucker, Kendrick Nunn and someone like DeAndre Jordan adds up to about $17.1M in total salaries this season, giving the Lakers a chance to possibly add on to their roster.
Jerami Grant (Pistons), Myles Turner (Pacers), Terrence Ross (Magic), Bogdan Bogdanovic (Hawks) and Derrick White (Spurs) have been mentioned as possible trade targets for this team and all five of these players could technically be acquired by the Lakers should Talen Horton-Tucker, Kendrick Nunn and a veteran be on the move.
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As for lesser, cheaper options this team could target, Kenrich Williams (Thunder), Jeff Green (Nuggets), Robert Covington (Trail Blazers) and Christian Wood (Rockets) could be real possibilities given that their contracts are easier to navigate.
General manager Rob Pelinka knows he has to make a move if the Lakers are to be threats come playoff time and while they do like Talen Horton-Tucker’s upside, the Lakers do not have time to wait around for him to develop.
If Los Angeles wants to contend for another title right now, they have to be willing to sacrifice the little value that they still have on their roster, especially since Russell Westbrook’s contract is a cancer that does not allow them to make any significant changes around LeBron James and Anthony Davis.
