While there is a bit of late chatter surrounding the team, it seems unlikely they will be able to work out a suitable deal involving any of their players. The Lakers are 11-44, dead last in the Western Conference and trying to balance the Kobe Bryant farewell tour with the development of their promising young players. It's not exactly a situation conducive to trade talk.
Here's a rundown of the Lakers' trade deadline buzz.
Young Players Likely to Stay Put
The young core of the team—which presumably includes players like Julius Randle, D'Angelo Russell, Jordan Clarkson and Larry Nance Jr.—is not completely off the table, but is unlikely to be moved, according to the Los Angeles Times' Mike Bresnahan and the Orange County Register's Janis Carr:
This is hardly surprising. The Lakers have spent first-round picks on Randle and Russell, while Clarkson has shown encouraging improvement in his second year in the league and emerged as a reliable scorer.
Nance Jr. has flashed potential and is a fantastic athlete. He has the makings of a solid role player on a good team if he continues to develop. The likes of Tarik Black and Anthony Brown are cheap young players who would only be involved in a trade as throw-in pieces in a larger deal.
Of course, things aren't all rosy for the Lakers' young guns, certainly not in a season as trying as this one.
The way head coach Byron Scott has handled Russell in particular has drawn all sorts of criticism, as there's concern that he's stifling the rookie's development by limiting his ...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Los Angeles Lakers
