This season, the Los Angeles Lakers are engaged in a brutal civil war. On one side is the team’s front office, who want to preserve the future and keep their last remaining draft picks for as long as they possibly can.
On the other side are LeBron James and other Lakers players, who want the Lakers to use any means necessary to add high-level talent to the roster.
As things stand, it’s the front office that is winning so far as L.A. has done nothing in the way of trades since the season began.
According to a new report, however, there’s still a chance that the Purple and Gold might make a trade this season, even if it’s not the big name some fans were hoping for. Kendrick Nunn, surprisingly, might just be enough to pull off the deal.
When Kendrick Nunn logged more than 14 minutes on January 4, it marked the start of a string in which he’s played 12-plus minutes for seven straight games, his longest such streak since May 2021. Nunn has been helped by the fact that both Lonnie Walker IV (knee) and Austin Reaves (hamstring) are out for at least two weeks with injuries, but the Lakers figure to have an added benefit from his return to action—Nunn is gaining traction as a trade target.
“He could help someone,” one executive told Heavy Sports. “But they need to show he is healthy. He’s got a very manageable contract ($5.25 million, expiring this summer) and they’re dying for size on that team. They’re not going to trade LeBron (James) or Anthony Davis obviously, so the best package they can put out there is Nunn and (Patrick) Beverley and one of their picks (in 2027 or 2029). Honestly, he is their best trade piece right now.”
The Lakers have been pushing to acquire little-used Knicks wing Cam Reddish, and word is that Nunn would be a chip in that deal, with a third team potentially involved.
On paper, Reddish is the kind of bench scorer that could really help the Lakers. As one of the worst perimeter shooting teams in basketball, Reddish’s shot-making ability from beyond the arc could open up a lot of opportunities for LeBron and others to work inside.
Unfortunately, Cam is probably the best the Lakers could do without giving up their future first-round picks.
Lakers Will Not Sacrifice Future For Win-Now Trade
The Lakers would have likely made a trade already if it didn’t require them to give up their draft picks. While Cam is no game-changer, he’s still someone who could make a difference for a Lakers squad within striking range of the play-in tournament.
Either way, the Lakers should do something before now before it’s too late to salvage the season.
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