The Los Angeles Lakers are one of the teams many analysts are expecting to be active ahead of the 2024 NBA Trade Deadline. Since winning the inaugural NBA In-Season Tournament, the Lakers have seen their production on the court plummet.
Los Angeles was 14-9 heading into the final game against the Indiana Pacers, sitting pretty in the Western Conference. Since that point, they have gone 7-12, but have shown some signs of life recently.
Riding a three-game winning streak and victorious in five out of their last seven games, the Lakers have started getting their season back on track. However, they are still in 10th place in the Western Conference and will need to make some moves if they want to become contenders once again.
NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Tyus Jones, Collin Sexton, Jordan Clarkson, New York Knicks, Los Angeles Lakers Updates
General manager Rob Pelinka showed last season that he is capable of rebuilding a team on the fly with trades. Expect him to be aggressive once again looking to upgrade the talent on his roster this year.
Who could the Lakers have their sights set on? According to Dave McMenamin of ESPN, Los Angeles is interested in adding to their backcourt. Tyus Jones of the Washington Wizards and Collin Sexton of the Utah Jazz have emerged as targets.
“You’re gonna look at the Lakers surveying the market for point guard help and one guy you can look at is certainly Tyus Jones with the Washington Wizards. He’s 27 years old, he’s highly efficient.
“Another guy you look to is Collin Sexton. 25 years old, athletic, competitive, averages about 17 points and 4 assists a game, more of a combo guard but certainly someone that has ties to the Lakers, in the sense that his agent Rich Paul also represents LeBron James and Anthony Davis. Those names aren’t the same level as a Pascal Siakam or Zach Lavine, but they could be what could help this team down the stretch, especially with Gabe Vincent out with that knee injury.”
The Lakers aren’t the only team showing interest in those two backcourt players. The New York Knicks are also in the market for backcourt help after their acquisition of OG Anunoby required them to send Immanuel Quickley and RJ Barrett to the Toronto Raptors.
NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Tyus Jones, Collin Sexton, Jordan Clarkson, New York Knicks, Los Angeles Lakers Updates
Tim MacMahon of ESPN hinted that the Knicks should also be in on Sexton and Jones as two players to fill a major void in their lineup. In addition to Sexton, his current Jazz teammate, Jordan Clarkson, is another player who could be on New York’s radar.
“I’m just saying [if I’m the Knicks] I would be calling [Utah Jazz for Jordan Clarkson and Collin Sexton]. I would be calling Washington about Tyus Jones,” MacMahon said during an appearance on The Hoop Collective podcast.
Expect NBA rumors to heat up in the coming days and weeks as we quickly approach the deadline. The lines between selling and buying for teams are becoming clear as there should be plenty of activity after three blockbuster trades were already completed this season.
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