Lakers Rumors: Possible trade targets before the season begins

Tyler Ulis

Instead of bringing in a veteran guard to help aid Lonzo Ball’s progression the team could look to stick to their youth and bring in a young guard in Tyler Ulis. Ulis played okay in his short amount of time played in the NBA last season, however, the kid shows a lot of promise and would fit in perfectly with this young core the Lakers are building.

Plus, Ulis is an extremely cheap option that they can keep locked in for at least three more seasons. Even if he pans out being nothing more than a simple role player, his $1.3 million contract is not going to break the bank and is going to allow the Lakers to be flexible.

To get Ulis the Lakers are going to have to give up one of their young players, likely someone who the Suns can benefit from. That man is Larry Nance Jr, as Jared Dudley is not that great of a backup power forward for the Suns. It only makes sense to bring in a true back up power forward to play ahead of Dragan Bender, Nance is that guy.

This deal seems even more reachable considering the Suns don’t even need Ulis. Ahead of him at the point is both Eric Bledsoe and Brandon Knight, who the Suns have paid a pretty penny for.

In 18.4 minutes averaged per game last season, Ulis averaged 7.3 points and 3.7 assists, showing he could even score ten a game with extended bench minutes. We saw the rookie score as much as 34 for the Suns last season, so the foundation for a great player is definitely there.