Sports
Lakers Trade Rumors: LA Willing to Move Anyone but LeBron James, Anthony Davis
Ringo H.W. Chiu/Associated PressThe Los Angeles Lakers reportedly aren’t afraid of significant changes as they pursue an NBA championship.According to Tania Ganguli of the Los Angeles Times, general manager Rob Pelinka “is prepared to trade anyone on the roster” except LeBron James and Anthony Davis. Ganguli noted Kyle Kuzma has been at the center of…
Ringo H.W. Chiu/Associated Press
The Los Angeles Lakers reportedly aren't afraid of significant changes as they pursue an NBA championship.
According to Tania Ganguli of the Los Angeles Times, general manager Rob Pelinka “is prepared to trade anyone on the roster” except LeBron James and Anthony Davis. Ganguli noted Kyle Kuzma has been at the center of trade discussions with multiple teams and is one of the team's “most tradeable talents.”
It's no surprise the Purple and Gold aren't interested in trading James or Davis since they make up arguably the best duo in the league and represent the present and future for the team.
It is not that difficult to envision a scenario where they lead Los Angeles to the championship this season with the 35-year-old James as the primary playmaker before the 26-year-old Davis anchors the attack in the coming years, assuming the big man eventually inks a long-term deal.
This is also the latest report to include Kuzma as a potential trade chip.
Tanguli reported Pelinka “initiated a call” with the Sacramento Kings revolving around the 24-year-old, while Marc Stein of the New York Times noted the Kings “tried to engage the Lakers” in discussions about him.
Kuzma, who is largely coming off the bench this season, is no longer a key building block on the team like he appeared to be before it traded Brandon Ingram, Josh Hart and Lonzo Ball to the New Orleans Pelicans as part of the deal that landed Davis.
The 6'6″ forward is still a young playmaker with promise, though, so a team that is more interested in building toward the future could look to move a productive veteran to acquire him.
It appears Pelinka would be fine with some wheeling-and-dealing with the Lakers in a win-now window.
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