Lakers ‘Surely’ Making Trade Calls on Celtics Vet Starter, Says Former Exec

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The Los Angeles Lakers could be busy at this year's NBA trade deadline.

Much like the Boston Celtics, the Los Angeles Lakers roster is undoubtedly flawed. In return, the team is expected to be amongst the more active ahead of the February 10 trade deadline. One area in particular that the Lakers are expected to try and beef up is the guard/wing position — specifically an off-ball player who can knock down shots (from time to time) and help elevate a defensive unit that lingers around the middle of the pack in the NBA.

According to former NBA executive John Hollinger, those desires may have very well already led to the Lakers giving Brad Stevens a call to check in on the availability of Celtics guard Marcus Smart.

“Surely they are making calls about guards who can play off the ball, such as Portland’s Norman Powell, San Antonio’s Derrick White and Boston’s Marcus Smart, but they may need to set their sights a bit lower,” said Hollinger, who now serves as a senior NBA columnist for The Athletic.

THT & Kendrick Nunn on the Move?

As for what a potential return for a player of Smart’s magnitude may resemble, Hollinger notes that any potential deal the Lakers make “likely depends on including Talen Horton-Tucker, and to a lesser extent Kendrick Nunn.”

“The Lakers can’t throw a first-round pick into a trade until 2027, and even if that weren’t the case, they still need matching salary to create a deal. Horton-Tucker’s $9.5 million salary is the only ‘middle-class’ deal in their books; adding him, the 2027 pick and Nunn’s $5 million can pitch the Lakers into some interesting scenarios to get another starting-caliber player in the $15-20 million range,” he wrote.

Despite averaging a career-high 10.2 points per game, Horton-Tucker has seen his stock take a hit of late. After starting 15 of his first 18 games on the season, THT has been operating off the bench over the Lakers’ last three games. He’s seen his field goal percentage dip nearly 8.0% this season when compared to last, while his meager 22.1% 3-point percentage ranks outside of the top-151 qualified players in the league.

As for Nunn, the Lakers inked the 26-year-old to a two-year, $10.25 million contract this past offseason after two solid seasons in Miami. The former undrafted free agent has yet to suit up for the Lakers due to ankle and knee injuries. Nunn is coming off a 2020-21 campaign where he shot a career-best 38.1% from beyond the arc over a 56-game span.

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Smart Done in Boston?

Smart returned to Boston’s lineup in stellar fashion on New Year’s Eve. After a two-game absence due to a hand injury, Smart put forth arguably his best performance of the season, notching 24 points and nine rebounds in a victory over the Phoenix Suns. However, despite Smart’s budding play, Mass Live’s Matt Vautour predicts the team’s longest-tenured player’s ticket out of Boston is already punched:

The Celtics are going to trade Marcus Smart — The Celtics won’t be ready to deal Jaylen Brownas they hold onto hope of a Jayson Brown-Jaylen Brown banner. Smart contractually can’t be moved until mid-January, but as the season continues to frustrate, he’ll be dealt as the Celtics try to find a new formula to build from.

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