Getty Los Angeles Clippers forward Marcus Morris.
With the NBA trade deadline finally passing, the Los Angeles Lakers surprised many by not making a move. They certainly did their due diligence and called about several players, but they obviously couldn’t find a deal they liked. One name the team was linked to before the deadline was New York Knicks forward Marcus Morris. the Lakers wanted to cut a deal for him, but it’s being reported by ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne that New York was asking for way too much in return.
Following up on Lakers-NYK talks. It wasn’t just Kyle Kuzma LA didn’t want to include in a deal for Marcus Morris. The Knicks also wanted Danny Green (to make the $ work) and future second round picks, per sources. Lakers decided that was too steep and walked away late.
Considering the Lakers value the team’s current chemistry, it would’ve been really hard to give up both Danny Green and Kyle Kuzma. Plus, the Knicks wanted Los Angeles to send a second-round pick. That seems ridiculous given the fact that traded Morris went to the Clippers for just Moe Harkless. Good for the Lakers for not biting and giving up too much for a player they didn’t need.
Lakers Likely Would’ve Had to Send Danny Green for Money to Work
The most likely reason why Green was mentioned in trade talks is thanks to Kuzma’s very small contract. His small cap hit traded for Morris’s much bigger cap hit wouldn’t have been possible. Green would’ve had to be a casualty if the Lakers really wanted to get Morris, but it wouldn’t have made much sense for the team to lose out on both Green and Kuzma for just Morris. If the team didn’t want to mess up chemistry, that would’ve had the opposite effect.
Plus, that would’ve been doing Green pretty dirty considering he waited for the Lakers in free agency. He’s also one of the team’s better defenders and the team is going to need to play defense if they’re going to keep up with the Clippers.
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Clippers Get Stronger While Lakers Stay Put
There isn’t necessarily anything wrong with the Lakers staying put at the trade deadline, but considering the Clippers bolstered their lineup, there’s a clear loser in Los Angeles. The Clippers’ roster is absolutely loaded from top to bottom and there’s no way the Lakers can compete with their second team. The two teams figure to see each other at some point in the playoffs and it’s shaping up to be an epic matchup.
Whether or not the Lakers snag Darren Collison, their bench isn’t going to be as good. Luckily, they have two of the five best players in the world right now and it’s looking like they’ll need to rely heavily on Anthony Davis and LeBron James. That’s a pretty good duo to rely on, but considering Davis’ injury history and LeBron’s age, the Lakers are probably going to be sweating when they have to play the Clippers.
The Lakers easily have a better record on the season, but they’ve lost both matchups to the Clippers. The Clippers could make the argument that their record isn’t as good as the Lakers’ because they are more prone to sit their starters for resting purposes. Regardless, if they see each other in the playoffs, we’ll get a definitive answer as to which team is better.
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Knicks Asked Lakers for Big Haul in Marcus Morris Trade Talks: Report