Getty Minnesota Timberwolves' Robert Covington.
With the February 6th trade deadline rapidly approaching, trade rumors are about to hit a season-high. The Los Angeles Lakers are a team expected to try and make a splash, but one of their targets may be out of reach. The Minnesota Timberwolves are preparing to send away All-NBA defender Robert Covington. However, he’s not going to come cheap. According to Marc Stein, the Timberwolves want a hefty return for Covington:
“Ambitious as it sounds, Minnesota has sought two first-round picks in exchange for Robert Covington in advance of Thursday’s trade deadline, league sources say. Let’s see where the Wolves land if/when they actually deal him, with Philly and Houston at the front of the RoCo line.”
Ben Cohen of The Wall Street Journal recently reported that the Lakers were a team that wanted to make a run at Covington, but thanks to a number of trades, Los Angeles has very little draft capital.
Looks Like the Lakers Are out of the Covington Race
Though the Lakers would love to add a defender of Covington’s caliber to the roster, it’s looking very unlikely like they’ll get the chance to. As Stein pointed out, it seems most likely that the Philadelphia 76ers or Houston Rockets end up getting the veteran forward. In some ways, that’s good news for the Lakers. It has also been reported that the Clippers are attempting to get Covington. They already have three of the most impressive defensive players on the planet. If they also snagged Covington, it’s hard to imagine that any team would be able to put up big points against that roster.
The Lakers don’t have much to offer for Covington, so it’s hard to imagine they could surprise people and pull off a trade for him. Los Angeles will likely have to look elsewhere for additional help.
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Andre Iguodala to the Bucks?
It’s no secret that the Lakers would be very interested in adding Andre Iguodala, but the Memphis Grizzlies aren’t making things easy. It seems like they don’t have much interest in trading him to a Western Conference contender and now Ric Bucher of Bleacher Report is reporting that they have offered Iguodala to the Milwaukee Bucks:
“And one league source says the Memphis Grizzlies offered Andre Iguodala to the Milwaukee Bucks for the 2020 protected first-round pick they acquired from Indiana in the deal that sent point guard Malcolm Brogdon to the Pacers last summer. While adding Iguodala’s playmaking ability, postseason pedigree and defense to the team with the league’s best record is tantalizing, it would be a Rubik’s Cubesian challenge to construct a deal that would allow Milwaukee to absorb his $17.2 million contract.”
Luckily for the Lakers, it looks like the Bucks will have a hard time making a trade for Iguodala work. That said, the Lakers can’t trade their 2020 first-round pick because league rules prohibit going without a first-round pick in consecutive years. If Memphis is looking to get draft picks, then the Lakers will probably have to counted out. Iguodala would be a big pickup for the Lakers as the playoffs near, but the Grizzlies aren’t going to give him away.
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