Lakers admit any player could be traded in right deal — even Lonzo Ball, Brandon Ingram
The Los Angeles Lakers desperately want to add a big name star. As a result, they’re willing to move anyone on the roster for the right price.
Rob Pelinka is ready to make his mark on the Los Angeles Lakers roster. The team’s GM doesn’t necessarily want to part with any of his young talent, but there’s been a definite philosophy change in LA. The team is now willing to discuss dealing anyone on their roster if the deal will help them acquire the big name star they crave.
In particular, the Lakers have their eyes on Kawhi Leonard, LeBron James and Paul George. James and George project to be free agents this summer, and Leonard’s tension with the Spurs means he may become available via trade.
Currently, the Lakers only have room to add one maximum contract. That means they’ll have to make a deal if they want to remake their roster with two megastars. That, undoubtedly, is playing into their change in thinking about their young core.
Up until now, Lakers officials have been adamant that players like Lonzo Ball, Kyle Kuzma, Brandon Ingram and Jason Hart were untouchable. The team’s stance has now softened significantly. There’s no desire to give any of that quartet away for free, but Pelinka and company won’t hesitate to include them in a deal that nets them an All-NBA level player.
This strategy shouldn’t surprise anyone. As encouraging as each of the four young players has been in their careers, none is a lock to even make a single All-Star game. Ball has a lot of talent, but his inability to shoot from the outside is a major concern going forward. Ingram took serious steps forward this season, but he’s still not an efficient scorer. There’s a real question about whether or not he can become a first option on offense.
Kuzma and Hart project as quality role players, but neither is going to develop into a transcendent star. They both give the Lakers excellent value based on their draft status, but they are fringe NBA starters right now.
If the Lakers brass believed they had a potential superstar on their hands, they wouldn’t be willing to part with him. Instead, they realize that all of their young players have certain flaws that will likely prevent them from becoming a team’s first option.
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Unfortunately for the Lakers, other teams also see the flaws in their young players. That’s going to make packaging them for a superstar pretty difficult. Pelinka and company may have waited too long to make their intriguing young players available. Their quest to find a superstar could have to wait until the summer of 2019 instead.