NBA analyst strongly suggests LA Lakers to trade for $21.2M players from lottery team
Former NBA player-turned analyst Kendrick Perkins has a trade suggestion for the LA Lakers. Perkins believes the Lakers need Utah Jazz duo, Colin Sexton and Walker Kessler. Sexton is making $18.3 million this season, while Kessler is earning $2.9 million.
They both cover specific needs for the Lakers. Sexton would give them the athletic presence in the backcourt they don't have, with Austin Reaves and D'Angelo Russell as their primary guard creators. Meanwhile, Kessler could be the ideal center next to Anthony Davis.
However, Perkins is iffy if Lakers GM Rob Pelinka sees the move from the same lens as him.
"Sexton and Kessler are the pieces that the Lakers need. I wonder if Pelinka see it," Perkins said in a tweet on Sunday as LA played the Utah Jazz.
The Lakers are 12-8 on the season and sixth in the West. They are well-positioned to contend for a top-six or even a homecourt seed. However, it's only possible to sustain if they upgraded their roster around LeBron James and Anthony Davis.
According to NBA trade rumors, the Lakers will be more active leading up to the trade deadline, with multiple teams expected to become heavy sellers. The Jazz are among those teams, too.
Walker Kessler and Colin Sexton are two players who have generated league-wide interest, including the LA Lakers. Only time will tell if a deal can materialize between the two franchises.
NBA Trade Rumors: Utah Jazz shoot down LA Lakers offer for Walker Kessler
Walker Kessler is a name floated around in trade rumors, and the LA Lakers have circled him as a candidate. However, trading for him won't be as easy as it seems. The Purple and Gold's proposed package would likely include D'Angelo Russell and multiple first-round picks, but that deal doesn't interest the Utah Jazz.
Here's what The Athletic's Sam Amick reported on Nov. 1:
"A Jazz source indicated the possible framework of a deal — D’Angelo Russell and multiple first-round picks — would not be of interest. As noted above, though, there could be other Lakers iterations that might be of more interest."
Walker Kessler is extension-eligible at the end of the season. The Lakes may not have an issue with that, but they might struggle to trade for him in the first place if their most viable trade candidate is not what interests the Jazz.
If not Russell, it could likely be Austin Reaves, but the LA Lakers have repeatedly avoided any negotiations revolving around the fourth-year guard. LA, though, is reportedly ready to part with him for a bonafide All-Star.