With the 2022-23 NBA season in its full flow, organizations around the league have gotten a pretty good grasp of where their respective teams stand as of now. Speaking of the Western Conference, the Los Angeles Clippers and the Los Angeles Lakers will certainly be eyeing to make a few trades soon.
For the Clippers, the absence of Kawhi Leonard and Paul George in several games has somewhat hurt the team in the longer picture. On the other hand, the Lakers are still finding ways to bolster the team around LeBron James and Anthony Davis.
Keeping that in mind, both teams will be looking forward to the top candidates that will be eligible to be traded starting December 15, 2022.
Los Angeles Lakers And Clippers Could Be Involved In Trades With Other Teams
Michael Scotto and Yossi Gozlan of HoopsHype recently discussed several candidates that could be involved in trades starting from December 15, 2022.
Via HoopsHype:
Gozlan: I would keep an eye on John Wall because out of all the guys making decent money that have a decent tradable salary, he seems like the most expendable to me. Even though Robert Covington, for example, might be out of the rotation when the team is fully healthy, I still see the Clippers keeping him as insurance. Wall has brought an element of transition that the Clippers haven’t had and gets to the line a lot. He’s been fine in limited minutes, but his 27 percent from three can potentially be an issue for what they’re trying to accomplish in the playoffs. If they feel they can do better at backup point guard, that’s where they could probably move his $6.5 million salary to get that guy.
The biggest reason why Gozlan believes Wall could be traded is due to his below-average 3-point shooting. Wall is currently shooting 27.3% from deep, and if he doesn’t improve that soon, it won’t be a surprise if the Clippers include him in a trade package to acquire other players.
Scotto: After waiving Matt Ryan, some executives are wondering if the Lakers will look to make a roster upgrade around the edges, given Russell Westbrook’s production off the bench for the team, and they’ve been hot lately over their last 10 games.
Gozlan: Particularly the ones out of the rotation, like Damian Jones and Juan Toscano-Anderson will naturally be available, and maybe the Lakers can offload them for some luxury tax relief or be included as add-ons for a salary in a Westbrook or Pat Beverley trade… DeMar (DeRozan) would be very interesting.
The Lakers recently waived off Matt Ryan, and this led to many believing that the team may be preparing for a big upgrade to the roster. As suggested by Gozlan, the Lakers also have their eyes on DeMar DeRozan. If the Purple and Gold can pull that off, it could have a huge impact on their chances of not only advancing to the playoffs but winning the NBA Championship as well.
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