LA Lakers Rumors Roundup: Purple and Gold interested in Bojan Bogdanovic, Bulls not interested in acquiring Russell Westbrook, and more
The LA Lakers are reportedly targeting three role players via trades with Detroit and New York.
In other news, the Chicago Bulls are not interested in taking back Lakers point guard Russell Westbrook in any potential deal.
On that note, here are the latest rumors surrounding the LA Lakers as of Dec. 13, 2022.
LA Lakers still interested in Bojan Bogdanovic
The LA Lakers still have their eye on Detroit Pistons sharpshooter Bojan Bogdanovic, according to a recent report from Shams Charania of The Athletic. This comes as Bogdanovic just dropped a season-high 38 points with six made 3-pointers versus the Lakers on Sunday night. However, Charania added that the Pistons are reluctant to trade Bogdanovic.
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Detroit acquired Bogdanovic in a trade with Utah shortly before the season and subsequently signed him to a two-year, $39.1 million contract extension. So there is no rush for the Pistons to move on from him.
However, it’s worth noting that Bogdanovic is already 33 and the Pistons are just 7-22 and 15th in the Eastern Conference. So now may be Detroit’s best chance to sell high on him before they enter a possible tanking scenario for the No. 1 pick.
Bogdanovic is averaging 21.0 points, 3.6 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 2.6 3-pointers per game on 50.8% shooting and 43.7% shooting from three this season. So he would provide a massive boost to the Lakers’ 28th-ranked team 3-point% of 32.2%.
LA Lakers discussed Evan Fournier and Cam Reddish trades with New York
Shams Charania’s report also mentioned that the LA Lakers are interested in New York Knicks wings Evan Fournier and Cam Reddish. Both have been made widely available by New York, with the Lakers reportedly already having called the Knicks to discuss possible deals.
Fournier and Reddish have both struggled this season and have fallen in and out of New York’s rotation. However, Fournier has proven to be a reliable shooter and scorer in the past and Reddish is still just 23 years old with decent upside.
Fournier is averaging 6.9 points, 2.1 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 1.5 3-pointers per game on 34.4% shooting. Meanwhile, Reddish is averaging 8.4 points, 1.6 rebounds and 1.0 assist per game on 44.9% shooting.
Fournier has a fairly expensive contract relative to his production with a guaranteed $55.9 million salary over the next three seasons. However, Reddish is on a team-friendly expiring $5.95 million contract.
Chicago Bulls not interested in acquiring Russell Westbrook
It was recently reported that the LA Lakers are only interested in trading their highly-coveted 2027 and 2029 first-round picks for All-Star level players. Some of the targets listed included Chicago Bulls stars DeMar DeRozan and Nikola Vucevic.
In any potential deal with Chicago, the Lakers would have to send back Russell Westbrook’s expiring $47.1 million contract to make the salaries match. Unfortunately, for the Lakers, the Bulls are reportedly not interested in taking back Westbrook, according to Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times.
The Chicago Bulls have zero interest in Russell Westbrook in a potential trade involving DeMar DeRozan and Nikola Vucevic, per @JCowleyHoops https://t.co/e4OQvQqN68
“So while the Lakers might be looking to make a big trade and have their eyes on the Bulls’ roster, the feeling isn’t mutual. According to a source, executive vice president of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas has no interest in acquiring Russell Westbrook and his expiring contract, even if it means adding draft picks."
Cowley added that the Bulls are not ready to overreact to their disappointing 11-15 start. Chicago are still waiting for the return of injured point guard Lonzo Ball to see how the team performs at full strength. If true, this is tough news for Lakers fans. As it looks like the Lakers are slowly running out of options when it comes to making a big splash in the trade market.