Getty Los Angeles Lakers GM Rob Pelinka.
Los Angeles Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka plans to “shoot his shot” with the team having a shortlist of superstars they would like to pull off a trade for amid the latest NBA rumors. The Lakers have their eyes on Kevin Durant, Bradley Beal and Damian Lillard in a “pie-in-the-sky scenario,” per The Athletic’s Jovan Buha.
“In the ultimate pie-in-the-sky scenario, the Lakers have interest in Kevin Durant, Damian Lillard and Bradley Beal if any of the three stars were to become available,” Buha wrote on December 16, 2022.
It is not unreasonable to think Durant could become available again given the superstar requested a trade over the offseason before agreeing to continue to play for the Nets. The challenge is that the Lakers do not have any assets with strong trade value outside of Anthony Davis, who the team has been unwilling to part with thus far.
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Buha also reported that the Lakers still “have no interest in trading Davis.” It remains to be seen if the Lakers’ stance would change if a player like Durant became available.
“James can’t be traded until next summer because of the timing of the extension he signed this offseason,” Buha noted. “The Lakers have no interest in trading Davis, especially after his re-emergence as a top-10 player and their best player thus far this season. Any Davis trade buzz was always premature.”
Durant is on a four-year, $194 million contract that runs through the 2025-26 season. The 12-time All-Star continues to play at a high level averaging 29.9 points, 6.6 rebounds and 5.4 assists per game during his first 29 appearances this season.
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The longtime rumored trade package of Russell Westbrook and two future first-round picks in unlikely to net the Lakers another star in return, especially of the caliber of Durant, Beal or Lillard. Los Angeles would need to consider trading Davis to have any hope of landing another superstar in a blockbuster deal. The chances of Durant teaming up with James in Hollywood are slim, but the Nets star still holds a high admiration for the Lakers legend.
“He’s obviously [a] top-two player to ever play, top-three player to ever play the game, so there’s always going to be excitement when he steps on the floor,” Durant told reporters on November 14. “And we’ve been around for so long that people [have] seen so many battles between us two at the highest stage that people look forward to it. So, I guess it’s cool that we still relevant at an older age and people want to come and watch us play.”
As for possible Lakers deals, fans can look for something smaller, potentially adding another big man or more shooting. The Athletic’s Sam Amick labeled a Westbrook trade as “increasingly unlikely” given the star’s resurgence since embracing a sixth-man role.
“According to a source with knowledge of the Lakers’ plans, Westbrook’s play this past month has made it increasingly unlikely that he will be traded before the league’s Feb. 9 deadline,” Amick noted on December 15. “Since becoming a sixth man on Oct. 28, the 34-year-old, who is in the final year of his (massive) contract, has averaged 15.2 points, 7.9 assists, 5.8 rebounds, 3.8 turnovers and 28.2 minutes.”