The first half of the 2021-22 NBA season is already on the books and it's time for plenty of teams to strengthen themselves ahead of the most demanding part of the year. The Los Angeles Lakers need help and they want to find it before the trade deadline.

In the wake of yet another frustrating defeat, this time to the Sacramento Kings, Frank Vogel's team sits eighth in the Western Conference standings with a mediocre 21-21 record. Things haven't gone as expected for them this season and it looks clear they need to make changes.

Two players who seem to be on the move have been linked with the Lakers over the last few weeks. The Pistons are set to negotiate Jerami Grant while Myles Turner wants to leave Indiana. However, the Lakers must make moves of their own to free up space, and according to Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report, they are considering trading Dwight Howard.

NBA Trade Rumors: Lakers gauging trade interest in Dwight Howard

"The Lakers have little trade flexibility, but that hasn't stopped Los Angeles from exploring various potential deals. Rob Pelinka's front office has only Talen Horton-Tucker and Kendrick Nunn as non-minimum players with tangible trade value, and that combination won't be nearly enough to land Grant or Turner. But the Lakers have called rival teams to assess the trade value of DeAndre Jordan, Dwight Howard and Kent Bazemore, sources said."

It was reported weeks ago that after trading Rajon Rondo to the Cleveland Cavaliers the Lakers wanted to find a new destination for DeAndre Jordan and Kent Bazemore as well in order to make more room in their roster.

And Howard's departure would be for the same reason, as trading the veteran would not get the players the Lakers are looking for in return. Maybe he could be part of a package that does, but Los Angeles may want to give up his spot regardless.