Getty Rob Pelinka (left) and Frank Vogel (right).
The Los Angeles Lakers are a finalist to land Brooklyn Nets big man Paul Millsap if he hits the free-agent market, per Bleacher Report’s Jake Fischer. Millsap is currently under contract with the Nets, but the team is working with the veteran to find a new home.
If the Nets do not find a trade partner by the February 10 deadline, Millsap is a prime candidate to agree to a buyout where the Lakers along with the Bulls would be the top contenders to sign the big man.
“And while it’s believed Paul Millsap would prefer to land in Chicago, having a connection to Bulls lead executive Arturas Karnisovas from their shared Denver days, Los Angeles has been mentioned as a suitor for Millsap should he reach the buyout market,” Fischer detailed on February 2.
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My @NBAonTNT report on Paul Millsap who is in Atlanta training while Brooklyn Nets search for a trade. In a phone conversation with the veteran, he spoke about the matter for the first time.
Millsap has had minimal impact since arriving in Brooklyn this past offseason. The four-time All-Star is averaging 3.4 points, 3.7 rebounds and an assist in 11.3 minutes per game during his 24 appearances with the Nets this season. Millsap had a larger role with the Nuggets during the 2020-21 season posting nine points, 4.7 rebounds and 1.8 assists in 20.8 minutes per contest which included 36 starts.
How much of an impact could Millsap make with the Lakers? As Los Angeles found with Andre Drummond last season, buyout players rarely move the needle for their new team.
That said, DeAndre Jordan and Dwight Howard have struggled this season, and Millsap could be a solid rotational player for the Lakers with a minimal price tag. NBA insider Marc Stein reported that Millsap will no longer play for the Nets as the team looks for a new home for the veteran.
“The Nets have pledged to find Paul Millsap a new home and have granted the former All-Star forward, who turns 37 on deadline day, leave from the team as they scour the market for a suitable trade,” Stein noted on January 28. “Swapping Millsap for more perimeter shooting, sources say, is among the Nets’ goals.”
The Lakers Are Looking to Trade Bazemore: Report
While some Lakers fans are awaiting a blockbuster Russell Westbrook trade, the team is much more likely to make smaller moves at the deadline. Fischer reported the Lakers are looking to deal veteran guard Kent Bazemore.
“The Lakers are searching to find Kent Bazemore a new home after he opened the season as a starter,” Fischer explained.
Teams View T.H.T. as a ‘Marginal Asset’ Ahead of the Trade Deadline, Says Insider
The Lakers are in a difficult position as Westbrook’s fit with the team has been less than ideal, but general manager Rob Pelinka is unlikely to find a franchise willing to take on the star’s $91 million he is slated to make over the next two seasons. Los Angeles’ most tradable asset is Talen Horton-Tucker, but Bleacher Report’s Eric Pincus reported opposing teams view the swingman as a “marginal asset” given his inconsistent play this season. Pincus added that the Lakers may have to add a first-round selection in order to trade Horton-Tucker by the deadline, far from an appealing option for Los Angeles.
“Now that the Lakers are looking to improve their roster ahead of the trade deadline, Horton-Tucker is viewed by other teams as a marginal asset,” Pincus wrote on January 31. “He’s still a developing prospect, but he’s about $7.7 million more expensive this season than his contemporaries. But the bigger issue for the Lakers, above his salary, is the 21-year-old guard’s player option before the 2023-24 season.
“…And if a team doesn’t think Horton-Tucker has the goods to deliver, why would it trade for him? That’s why the market may push Pelinka into giving up a first-round pick in addition to Horton-Tucker to make a deal (provided the team can find one that will increase its chances of winning this season). Those hopes may depend on James, who has missed the team’s last three games with a swollen knee.”