Getty The Lakers pursued a trade for Cam Reddish (right).
The Los Angeles Lakers continue to be linked to trade rumors as it appears the franchise is very active ahead of February’s deadline. The latest rumor linked the Lakers to a failed deal with the Hawks for promising wing Cam Reddish. The Athletic’s Chris Kirschner and Fred Katz reported the Lakers offered two second-round picks for Reddish, but the Hawks were holding out for a first-round selection.
“The Hawks have made Reddish widely available since before this past draft cycle. The price then was a first-round pick, and it never changed,” Kirschner and Katz detailed on January 13. “Atlanta was looking for something closer to the slot where it drafted him, No. 10 overall, but nothing materialized. The front office had conversations with the Pacers, Lakers, Cavaliers and Pistons over the past several months, sources say, but the Hawks were always waiting for that first-round pick for Reddish.
“Recently, The Athletic learned that the Lakers had offered two second-rounders for Reddish. Still, the Hawks believed a team would eventually offer the first-round pick they sought.”
ALL the latest Los Angeles Lakers news straight to your inbox! Join the Heavy on Lakers newsletter here!
The Hawks Landed a Protected First-Round Selection From the Knicks
The Hawks eventually found this first-round selection, albeit protected, from the Knicks along with Kevin Knox making the Lakers’ deal less appealing. Los Angeles is severely limited with the future first-round selections they can offer as a result of the picks still owed to the Pelicans from the Anthony Davis deal.
It is easy to see why Reddish was an appealing option for the Lakers. Los Angeles has few promising young players on their current roster outside of Talen Horton-Tucker. Reddish averaged 11.9 points and 2.5 rebounds while shooting a respectable 37.9% from long range this season. The 22-year-old guard still has the shine of being the No. 10 pick of the 2019 NBA draft as a highly-touted prospect out of Duke.
The Lakers Attempted to Get Back Into the Reddish Trade Talks, Per Woj
The Lakers appeared willing to gamble on Reddish’s upside if given a more consistent role in Los Angeles as a guard who has the potential to defend along with being a solid three-point shooter. ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported the Lakers attempted to get back into trade talks with Reddish but were unsuccessful. The Lakers’ lack of draft capital likely was a major factor in preventing a deal.
“And listen, there were a number of teams who like Cam Reddish,” Wojnarowski explained on the January 13 edition of NBA Today. “The Lakers were still trying to get back involved in a deal here. The Pacers had talked seriously, some others, you know, there are some teams who Cam Reddish doesn’t fit for, but everybody likes first-round picks and that’s what they got from New York here.”
Pelinka Is Looking to Trade Jordan, Howard & Bazemore: Report
The Lakers have been linked to numerous players in trade rumors but the challenge is the team has few appealing tradable assets outside of LeBron James and Anthony Davis. Russell Westbrook’s name has been floated in trade talks, but his $44 million salary will presents general manager Rob Pelinka with a challenge to move the star before the deadline.
According to Bleacher Report’s Jake Fischer, the Lakers are also exploring smaller deals to move on from DeAndre Jordan, Dwight Howard and Kent Bazemore.
“The Lakers have little trade flexibility, but that hasn’t stopped Los Angeles from exploring various potential deals,” Fischer wrote on January 13. “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.”