The Los Angeles Lakers utilized the February 9 trade deadline to revamp their roster; however, Rob Pelinka may not be done making moves.
According to SB Nation’s Rick O’Donnell, the Lakers could be a potential landing spot for five-time NBA All-Star Kevin Love, who, according to a February 16 report by The Atheltic’s Shams Charania, is currently working on a buyout with the Cleveland Cavaliers.
The Cleveland Cavaliers and Kevin Love are finalizing a contract buyout, sources tell me and @ByJasonLloyd.
Full details at @TheAthletic, including an Eastern Conference playoff contender expected to emerge as a suitor for Love:
“The LeBron connection makes the Lakers an obvious fit. James and Love have maintained a close relationship since winning the 2016 championship together, and it would make sense if LeBron pushed to get the team to sign his friend. The Lakers don’t take or make many threes, which is an area where Love could help. LA has also been a poor offensive rebounding team all year, and Love still has some ability in that area, too,” O’Donnell wrote.
Love has participated in 41 games for the Cavaliers this season, averaging 8.5 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 1.9 assists per contest while shooting 38.9% from the field and 35.4% from deep. If the Lakers can find the necessary minutes to entice Love into signing a contract, he could be a significant veteran presence off the bench for them over the remainder of the season.
Lakers Considering Extending D’Angelo Russell’s Contract
D’Angelo Russell recently returned to the Lakers as part of the three-team trade that sent Russell Westbrook to the Utah Jazz, and according to a February 16 report by ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, both the team and the player are interested in extending his stay beyond this season.
“Both the Lakers and D’Angelo Russell have already expressed to each other an interest in starting conversations on a contract extension…Russell could be a free agent this summer, but the Lakers traded for him — giving up as part of that package a first-round pick, two second-round picks — not to be a rental but to be a solution at that point guard position. So expect D’Angelo Russell and the Lakers to really start engaging on those extension talks here in the next weeks and months into the offseason,” Wojnarowski said on an episode of NBA Countdown.
Russell is in the final few months of a four-year, $117 million contract, luckily the Lakers do hold full bird rights for the veteran guard, giving them additional flexibility in their negotiations for a new long-term contract.
Lakers Could Part Ways With Anthony Davis
While Russell and the Lakers are plotting a future together, it would appear that Anthony Davis’ time with the team could be drawing to a close. According to Colin Cowherd, the Dallas Mavericks could hold interest in acquiring the superstar forward at the end of the season.
🔊@ColinCowherd: “LeBron and his camp have been frustrated by how many minutes he has to play. They cant depend on Anthony Davis. They are also mad that Darvin Ham is not keeping the pressure on Anthony Davis.”
“LeBron and his camp have been frustrated by how many minutes he has to play. They cant depend on Anthony Davis. They are also mad that Darvin Ham is not keeping the pressure on Anthony Davis…I talked to an NBA source who I’ve known for a long time, he said, the Dallas Mavericks and Anthony Davis, keep your eye on it. Anthony Davis is pouting, LeBron’s holding him accountable, LeBron’s not happy with him, AD’s gone into a funk, it’s not coincidence,” Cowherd said on February 15.
For now, though, Los Angeles will be hoping Davis can rediscover his early season form and help the team challenge for an NBA championship – should they make it into the postseason.
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Lakers Floated as Potential Landing Spot For 5-Time All-Star on Buyout Market