Three Lakers Veteran Trade Targets Revealed

With the NBA trade deadline only three days away, the Los Angeles Lakers are exploring all avenues to bolster their roster for the second-half push. 

If the playoffs started today, the Lakers would be in the ninth spot in the Western Conference (26-25) and have to play the No. 10 seed Utah Jazz in the play-in tournament. Los Angeles participated in the play-in tournament after an impactful trade deadline last season. But they likely don’t want to be in the same spot this season.

The Lakers have been linked to Atlanta Hawks combo guard Dejounte Murray leading up to the trade deadline. While Murray would be an upgrade over D’Angelo Murray, Los Angeles might have to acquire a big man with Jarred Vanderbilt potentially out for the rest of the season.

Lakers Rumors: Los Angeles Interested in Andre Drummond, Tyus Jones

With that in mind, the Lakers are one of the multiple teams interested in Chicago Bulls center Andre Drummond, per Michael Scotto of HoopsHype. Drummond is one of the premier big men trade targets, as he’s only making $3.36 million this season.

The 30-year-old center is averaging 7.7 points and 8.3 rebounds in 15.8 minutes per game in his second season with the Bulls. Drummond played with the Lakers in the 2020-21 season, where he recorded 11.9 points and 10.2 rebounds per game in 21 games as a starter.

That being said, if the Lakers brought back Drummond, they wouldn’t look for him to start but grab boards off the bench, as they aren’t getting little to no production from Christian Wood.

In addition to center, Scott also reported that the Lakers are among the teams interested in Washington Wizards point guard Tyus Jones. 

However, the Wizards reportedly want a first-round pick in return for the veteran point guard. It wouldn’t be out of the realm of possibility for the Lakers to do this deal, especially if they get the sense that the Hawks aren’t moving Murray.

This season, Jones is averaging 12.2 points, 6.3 assists, and 2.8 rebounds in 28.5 minutes per game with Washington. He’s also shooting a solid 49.1% from the field and 39.2% from beyond the arc.

With Jones making $14 million this season, the Lakers would trade Russell or Gabe Vincent in a potential deal to match the salaries. Jones would be a nice consolation prize for Los Angeles, but it wouldn’t be surprising to see them roll with Russell for the rest of the season.

Finally, Scotto wrote that the Lakers “checked in” on Detroit Pistons forward Danilo Gallinari’s price tag. Gallinari was traded last month by the Wizards. 

The 35-year-old forward wouldn’t be an impact player for the Lakers, but give them another big man who can play some small ball five and be a competent three-point shooter. He’s averaging 7.5 points per game on 44.7% shooting from the field and 35.5% from three-point range between the Wizards and Pistons.

Ultimately, whatever moves the Lakers make by the trade deadline, they must be impactful. LA is a long shot to win the West (+2900 on FanDuel Sportsbook), which is a far cry from where the team was at the end of last season.

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