The Los Angeles Lakers haven’t had the year that many expected they would prior to the start of the 2021-22 season. They have been treading .500 all season, and are currently 21-21 and 7th in the Western Conference.
One solution to their current predicament is making a trade. While a lot of people have suggested trading Russell Westbrook, it was previously reported that almost no teams want to trade for Westbrook due to his high salary.
If a Russell Westbrook trade is of low likelihood, the Los Angeles Lakers have to explore different options. Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report revealed that they have done just that. The Los Angeles Lakers “have little trade flexibility” but have called other teams in the league to figure out how much veterans such as DeAndre Jordan, Dwight Howard, and Kent Bazemore are worth on the open market.
The Lakers have little trade flexibility, but that hasn’t stopped Los Angeles from exploring various potential deals. Rob Pelinka’s front office has only Talen Horton-Tucker and Kendrick Nunn as non-minimum players with tangible trade value, and that combination won’t be nearly enough to land Grant or Turner. But the Lakers have called rival teams to assess the trade value of DeAndre Jordan, Dwight Howard and Kent Bazemore, sources said.
It is clear that the value of veterans who are on minimum contracts is likely low. But trading them for something is better than nothing, and moving them without acquiring a player back would open up roster spots for the buyout market. In fact, Brian Windhorst has previously reported that the Los Angeles Lakers were trying to move DeAndre Jordan and Kent Bazemore to open up roster spots, and perhaps they’re trying to do the same with Dwight Howard.
Trade or not, the Los Angeles Lakers need to find a way to play better. They have a fair amount of talent on the roster, including two top-tier players in LeBron James and Anthony Davis. Hopefully, we see them figure things out and start winning more games in the future.
