LA Lakers Rumors Roundup: Team leaning towards smaller deals, former Laker drawing interest from multiple teams and more
The LA Lakers are reportedly leaning towards making smaller trades this season, if any at all.
In other news, a popular former Lakers player is receiving a lot of trade interest.
On that note, here are the latest rumors surrounding the LA Lakers as of December 1, 2022.
LA Lakers leaning towards making smaller deals
The LA Lakers may no longer be looking to make a blockbuster move to shake up their roster, according to Jovan Buha of The Athletic. On the latest episode of ESPN LA’s “Lakers Talk,” Buha told Allen Sliwa that LA’s front office may be leaning towards making smaller deals. These include deals involving guards Kendrick Nunn and Patrick Beverley along with picks.
"Kendrick Nunn has not lived up to his contract and has been really inconsistent this season. Patrick Beverley has still been solid defensively but is averaging career-lows in points and 3-point percentage. He has just really been a non-factor offensively, Buha said.
“So I think looking at Pat and Kendrick specifically, those have been the two names that have come up a lot in potential deals where the Lakers could package those guys together and get to about $20 million combined.
“And then you throw in a first-round pick potentially, and all of a sudden there are a lot of options where you get upwards of $22-25 million back in salary and throw in a pick and maybe you get a high-level starter or two coming back the other way if it’s a rebuilding team that’s looking to shed some salary,” Buha continued.
Nunn is averaging just 5.8 points, 1.4 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game on 36.4% shooting this season. Meanwhile, Beverley is averaging just 4.2 points, 3.9 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game on 26.8% shooting. So it remains to be seen if LA gets any value for the two struggling guards, even with picks attached.
LA Lakers reportedly don’t think they can judge the team yet
Jovan Buha also provided an update on the LA Lakers’ self-evaluation process. The Lakers’ front office has continued to move the marker back to judge their roster. According to Buha, they still don’t have a strong grasp of how good their team really is yet. This is due to multiple injuries and the recent suspension of Patrick Beverley.
“Everything I’ve heard from multiple sources is that December 15 is the date they are now targeting. I had initially heard and reported that Thanksgiving range, 20-25 games, but the truth is the Lakers don’t feel like they have a great grasp on this team,” Buha said.
“And with LeBron missing multiple games, with AD missing a couple of games, with Dennis and Thomas not starting the season healthy and then those guys now emerging as key rotation players, Pat Beverley being suspended as well.
"Yes, they’ve had the Big 3 for 10 of the 19 games and they are only 3-7 with those three playing together, but overall they want a little bit more of a sample size to determine 'What do we have here, which pieces fit, which pieces don’t fit and who do we want to keep, who do we want to flip?''', Buha continued.
The Lakers (8-12) are 13th in the Western Conference following their win against Portland on Wednesday. As of now, it remains unclear how long the Lakers want to wait before making any trades.
Former LA Lakers player drawing interest from multiple teams
According to a recent report from NBA insider Brian Windhorst, multiple teams are interested in trading for former LA Lakers forward Kyle Kuzma. Windhorst spoke about the possibility of Washington trading Kuzma on his podcast the “Brian Windhorst & The Hoop Collective.”
"Kyle Kuzma has been red-hot. And I've heard some rumors, and I've talked to some executives about some teams saying, 'Yeah, they're trying to get Kuzma out of Washington, Windhorst said.
“Various teams are trying to trade for Kuzma. I'm like, 'Why? Why would Washington trade him?' Kuzma is on a great contract, and he's producing at a very high level. Now look, he kind of ebbs and flows, but we know he's got the ability to defend. He doesn't always do it, but we know he's got the ability to do it," Windhorst continued.
This season marks Kuzma’s second in Washington following his inclusion in the Lakers’ Russell Westbrook trade prior to last season. Washington has been fairly competitive this season at 11-11 and ninth in the Eastern Conference.
Meanwhile, Kuzma is having a career year, averaging 20.6 points, 7.9 rebounds and 3.6 assists per game. He will earn a base salary of $13 million salary this season and has a $13 million player option for next season. So it looks unlikely the Wizards will trade him unless they receive a strong offer.
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