Getty Malcolm Brogdon, Marcus Smart
At 23-23, the Boston Celtics‘ rival, the Los Angeles Lakers, wants some help. Because they’ve given up many of their assets for the roster they have now, they have limited options. However, that won’t stop them from trying. One of their targets in mind is former Celtics guard Malcolm Brogdon.
Yahoo Sports! Jake Fischer that the Lakers are among the teams keeping their eye on Brogdon.
“In addition to the Knicks and Lakers, league personnel believe Brogdon has another team with legitimate interest in his services: Houston,” Fischer wrote in a January 26 story. In his lone year with the Celtics, Brogdon won the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year. Brogdon has only continued his stellar production since the Celtics traded him to the Portland Trail Blazers.
Brogdon is averaging 15.7 points and 5.3 assists while shooting 43.7% from the field and 42.2% from three. The Trail Blazers have started a rebuild, and though they have veterans like Brogdon, Jerami Grant, and Deandre Ayton, Brogdon’s services would be better used on a team trying to win now.
Following a surprise trip to the Western Conference Finals, the 2023-24 season has not gone as planned for the Lakers. Brogdon is in the first year of a two-year, $45 million contract.
Malcolm Brogdon to Lakers Called ‘Lateral Move’
Though the Lakers have registered interest in Malcolm Brogdon, The Athletic’s Jovan Buha reported that they don’t believe Brogdon would improve their outlook much
“The Lakers view trades in which they move Russell for players like Portland’s Malcolm Brogdon, Washington’s Tyus Jones or Brooklyn’s Spencer Dinwiddie as lateral moves at best, and most likely downgrades, according to team sources,” Buha wrote in a January 26 story.
Currently, the Lakers’ guard rotation boasts of D’Angelo Russell, Gabe Vincent, Austin Reaves, and Max Christie. Brogdon is not an all-star player, but he can score. Sadly, acquiring also means trading for an injury risk.
Brogdon was exactly who the Celtics wanted him to be when they traded for him in 2022. However, he also showed exactly why he did not cost much in the playoffs. Brogdon showed his value in the postseason until an untimely injury hurt his productivity in the 2023 Eastern Conference Finals.
Malcolm Brogdon ‘Very Likely’ to Be Traded: Report
NBA Insider Marc Stein reported that while Trail Blazers’ wing Jerami Grant is likely to stay put, the likelihood of Malcolm Brogdon being traded is very high.
“Malcolm Brogdon, by contrast, remains a Blazer considered very likely to be traded before the Feb. 8 deadline,” Stein wrote in a January 21 story. “Brogdon’s name has been mentioned as a potential Knicks target in their well-chronicled search for a guard to fortify their bench ever since they were forced to surrender Immanuel Quickley to Toronto in the Anunoby trade.”
Brogdon can score at an efficient level. His shooting numbers with the Trail Blazers haven’t been efficient, but such was not the case with the Celtics. In his lone season in Boston, he put up shooting splits of 48.4/44.4/97. Playing for a playoff hopeful like the Knicks or the Lakers could help him shoot more efficiently when he’s on the floor.