Getty Rob Pelinka of the Los Angeles Lakers.
The Los Angeles Lakers pulled out of a deal that would have landed the team Buddy Hield, and now the team is attempting to convince the Sacramento Kings to revisit the trade. The Lakers pivoted to a draft night deal for Russell Westbrook, and L.A. fans continue to imagine how the roster would look with Hield wearing purple and gold.
Yahoo Sports’ Chris Haynes reported that the Lakers have “reached out to the Kings about a Talen Horton-Tucker package for Buddy Hield.” The bad news for the Lakers is it appears the time has passed for that potential deal as the Kings declined this idea.
“So, league sources have told me the Lakers reached out to the Kings about a Talen Horton-Tucker package for Buddy Hield,” the NBA insider detailed during the January 27 edition of Posted Up With Chris Haynes podcast. “You know, still trying to make that happen. Obviously, the Kings are like, ‘No, we feel like there’s more lucrative deals out there.’
“The Kings are going to be active. They’ve got a whole bunch of people calling them, a whole bunch of teams calling them. They’re going to be really active. But the Lakers are kind of calling around just to try to see. …If you look at that Lakers roster, Talen Horton-Tucker is the most attractive piece that they can move. You can’t trade Russ [Westbrook]. Kendrick Nunn hasn’t played all season. Talen Horton-Tucker is the only thing.
“…I just don’t know that a package around Talen Horton-Tucker, even with picks, can bring you back another impact player right now. Maybe it can, maybe it can, but as of right now, I was told the Kings were like, ‘no.’ But this is something, the Lakers, they’re talking to a lot of teams. That’s just one team that I know for sure that the connect was made, and it was a no go.”
ALL the latest Los Angeles Lakers news straight to your inbox! Join the Heavy on Lakers newsletter here!
The Lakers Previously Backed out of a Deal for Hield
All indications are there is no love lost between the Kings and Lakers since general manager Rob Pelinka backed out of the Hield deal at the last minute on July 29. At the time, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported the Lakers were “moving toward” a deal that would have sent Kyle Kuzma and Montrezl Harrell to the Kings for Hield.
Instead, those players became part of a blockbuster deal for Westbrook. The star’s fit with the Lakers has not been seamless, prompting the team to be widely criticized for passing on Hield. The Kings guard is averaging 14.9 points, four rebounds and two assists while shooting 37.6% from long range in 29 minutes per game this season.
The Kings Are Not Eager to Make a Deal With the Lakers
During a December 10 interview on the FnA Podcast, Bleacher Report’s Eric Pincus suggested the Kings still hold a grudge against the Lakers for the failed Hield deal. One that is likely to prevent future trades from happening.
“Harrison Barnes is another guy I know that they had interest in, the Lakers did, but [Lakers general manager] Rob Pelinka doesn’t have a great relationship right now with the Kings, because he had them on the doorstep of the Buddy Hield deal,” Pincus explained. “And from their point of view, from what I understand, he reneged on a deal, which is bad business from their point of view. And so, trusting him in another deal may be unlikely.”
“…From his point of view, he [Pelinka] was successful, what his goals were he achieved and the Kings should be disheartened and upset and distrustworthy of Pelinka from here on out. And if that means that of the 30 teams, the Lakers only have 29 they could trade with, if that’s 28 now because the Kings want to put ’em on their blacklist for now, then so be it.”