The Los Angeles Lakers are going to be one of the most active teams on the trade market for the remainder of the NBA offseason. Despite not having many assets to build a trade package with, they are determined to make some deals that will help get the team back on track.
Trading for Russell Westbrook has proven to be a colossal failure as they traded numerous assets to acquire him and the team found little success on the court. Los Angeles went 33-49 last season, not even making the NBA Play-In Tournament.
Changing head coaches as the Lakers did this offseason, moving on from Frank Vogel and replacing him with Darvin Ham, will only accomplish so much. The roster needs an overhaul and Rob Pelinka has to find a way to do that.
Could he circle back on a trade target that the Lakers have been linked to numerous times in the past? While making an appearance on ESPN’s NBA Today, Dave McMenamin provided an update on the latest trade rumors involving the purple and gold.
LATEST NBA NEWS AND RUMORS: Lakers Stars Reaffirm Commitment With Phone Call, But Does It Matter?
According to McMenamin, the Lakers have re-engaged in trade talks with the Indiana Pacers that are centered around sharpshooter Buddy Hield. That deal could be expanded to include Myles Turner in a deal for Westbrook, or with a package built around Talen Horton-Tucker.
If the Lakers could hit a redo button, they would likely already have Hield on the roster. They were deep in discussions with the Sacramento Kings last offseason on a deal that would have landed Hield in Los Angeles in exchange for Kyle Kuzma, Montrezl Harrell and a draft pick.
LATEST NBA NEWS AND RUMORS: Lakers Stars Reaffirm Commitment With Phone Call, But Does It Matter?
Things were so close to being completed that players were alerted of a deal. However, at the last minute, the Lakers pivoted to a deal with the Washington Wizards for Westbrook, trading those two players and the draft pick, in addition to Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, to the nation’s capital.
Buddy Hield would have been a great fit on the team last season and would still be one on this roster as well. The Los Angeles Lakers need as much shooting as possible on the floor, especially if Russell Westbrook remains on the roster, and Hield is one of the best high-volume 3-point shooters in the NBA. He would have a ton of open looks playing off of Westbrook, LeBron James, and Anthony Davis.
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