LA Lakers Rumors Roundup: Lakers urged to trade for DeAndre Ayton, LeBron James has 'family reasons' to remain in LA, and more
There are a lot of rumors surrounding the LA Lakers ahead of the February 9 trade deadline. The Lakers are now being urged to trade for DeAndre Ayton of the Phoenix Suns.
Meanwhile, LeBron James' future with the Lakers is in question again due to his desire to win another championship. The latest rumors, though, suggest that "family reasons" could result in "The King" staying in Hollywood for good.
Here's the latest LA Lakers rumors roundup for December 31 brought to you by Sportskeeda:
LA Lakers urged to trade for DeAndre Ayton
The LA Lakers are in danger of missing the playoffs once again, but a huge trade could change it all. Joseph Casciaro of The Score opined that the Lakers should try to acquire DeAndre Ayton from the Phoenix Suns.
Casciaro's suggested trade has the Lakers receiving Ayton, two first-round picks and a pick swap from the Suns for Anthony Davis. Casciaro explained that despite Davis' season, he's still an injury-prone player. Meanwhile, Ayton is a younger big man with potential.
It should also be noted that it's not the first time someone has proposed a Davis-for-Ayton trade. A Western Conference executive told Sean Deveney of Heavy Sports in the offseason that the Lakers could explore the possibility of flipping Davis for Ayton and Cam Johnson.
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LeBron James has 'family reasons' to remain with LA Lakers
LeBron James is clearly frustrated with the LA Lakers front office for the lack of moves to improve their roster. James has been doing it all for the Lakers since Anthony Davis suffered a foot injury. Rumors of him possibly leaving the team are starting again.
However, NBA insider Marc Stein revealed in a Substack piece that James might not request a trade out of Los Angeles. That's regardless of the Lakers' success on the court and whether or not they make the postseason.
Stein explained that James' family loves living in Southern California, which could affect his decision to leave the Lakers.
"Family reasons and LOCATION LOCATION LOCATION, as we've noted here many times, were the true driving forces that prompted James to leave Cleveland for Hollywood in the summer of 2018," Stein wrote. "Those are believed to be the same forces that would keep him from urging the Lakers to ship him somewhere that he has an actual chance at ring No. 5."
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Executive said LA Lakers 'desperately need' a shooter
The LA Lakers might not make any trades before the deadline and just ride out the season. However, an NBA executive told Sean Deveney of Heavy Sports that the Lakers need a shooter to improve their team.
"They desperately need a shooter," the executive said. "The question is, can another big-time player put them in the mix? Because they're not going anywhere with the way they are currently constructed.
So they have to ask, do you want to borrow against the future to see if you can maximize the present? And then you deal with the future when it comes up. But if Davis isn't going to be able to play or he's playing but not himself, then none of this will really matter anyway."
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