Lakers Rumors: Three possible salary dump trades for the Lakers

The first of three trades on this list is a deal that sees Jordan Clarkson sent to the Brooklyn Nets to rejoin former teammate D’Angelo Russell. Los Angeles has already done business with the Nets, trading Russell as a bargaining chip to get rid of Timofey Mozgov and his awful contract. Here, we would again see the Lakers sending the Nets a promising young guard to free cap space.

Clarkson is one of the most talented Lakers on the roster, thus causing his rise in popularity with the fans. The versatile guard averaged 14.7 points, 3.0 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game last season with Los Angeles. Whether he was coming off of the bench or in the starting five, Clarkson showed the offensive prowess to thrive at both the one and two guard.

However, Clarkson also is the proud owner of the fourth largest annual contract on the Lakers. Of the three contracts larger than his, two of them are expiring deals. Clarkson is owed an average of $12.5 million per season. While it certainly is not the most in today’s NBA, it is a nice chunk of change.

So, despite being one of the most talented Lakers and perhaps the closest to his prime, he may be the first to be traded. Clarkson is so young and talented that he does not need to be packaged with a younger star like Mozgov, hence the Lakers flexibility with the guard.

As for Booker, he can give a solid performance while backing up Julius Randle, prompting Kyle Kuzma to move to small forward; something already in the works. This deal poses to be very similar to the Lou Williams trade with the Houston Rockets last season – except instead of tanking, they are freeing up space.