Deah, taxes, and the Los Angeles Lakers being linked to half of available — or even non-available — NBA players. That’s the yearly cycle in L.A., especially since LeBron James arrived in town.
Under Rob Pelinka, the Lakers have been one of the most — if not the most — active teams ahead of the trade deadline. He revamped the whole roster mid-season last year, and he might look to do the same this time around.
That’s why it’s never a surprise to see multiple players tangled up with a potential move to Southern California, especially considering how much they’ve struggled with inconsistency this season.
Multiple reports stated that the Lakers were keeping tabs on Atlanta Hawks star Dejounte Murray and Chicago Bulls G/F Zach LaVine. Now, Jovan Buha of The Athletic reveals four additional targets.
LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers
Lakers Targeting Multiple Players
“Other names that have come up in talks with team and league personnel over the past two weeks include Portland’s Jerami Grant, Charlotte’s Terry Rozier, Toronto’s Gary Trent Jr. and Brooklyn’s Dorian Finney-Smith and Royce O’Neale. Each player fills at least one of the Lakers’ three needs,” wrote Buha.
Needless to say, they still need to find a way to make the numbers work, which will be easier said than done. They’re not going to be able to trade for all of them, but they could get at least one or two:
“As things stand, the Lakers are $1.26 million over the luxury tax. They are $4.9 million under the first apron, which means they can’t exceed that total if they take back more salary than they send out in a trade,” added the report.
see also
LeBron James finally praises Lakers coach Darvin Ham
It’s been clear that this core’s ceiling is way lower than last season’s, and something’s got to change in Los Angeles. Whether they’ll be able to pull off a big overhaul or not remains to be seen.
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