The LA Lakers may look at trade deals at the deadline to help set up free agency for Kobe Bryant next year and names like Jeremy Lin, Steve Nash, Jordan Hill and Carlos Boozer could be on the trading block, as names like Rajon Rondo, Goran Dragic, Deron Williams and Brook Lopez could be potential targets for Los Angeles as they try and rebuild quickly into next season.
The Lakers have been a mess this season and with Kobe Bryant showing that he can still play some pretty good basketball, the franchise is hoping to make a quick turnaround next year. Things look bleak now, but with a strong free agent class coming, the front office expects to be active over the next year as they clear cap space. Nash and Lin are on expiring deals and Boozer is on a one year deal, making all those contracts solid targets for some teams and that could lead to selling at the deadline.
According to Pro Basketball Talk, the Lakers are planning on going after Rajon Rondo "hard" next summer and if they miss out on him, Dragic could be another target. Dragic is expected to hit the market for the Celtics and Marc Stein from ESPN.com reports that the Houston Rockets, Los Angeles Lakers and Indiana Pacers would be the top teams chasing the guard if he ends up a free agent. The Nets reportedly are looking to trade Deron Williams and Brook Lopez, while Lance Stephenson could be a target this season with the Hornets after reports came out about his availability.
The Lakers don't have Nash healthy this season, but his contract could be valuable anyway, as Stein wrote that the team did not use the stretch provision on his deal. The money will be off the books after the season and the same goes for Lin and that is why the Lakers may explore deals with one of the point guards. The team also has Jordan Hill and Boozer, but it's unclear whether they will be looking to trade them at the deadline. The Lakers know that this season is basically lost already and with Bryant on his last legs over the next couple years, they have a short window to try and contend for him again. Rondo and Greg Monroe are two free agent targets they will look at along with Marc Gasol and the hopes is that the team can sign one of two of those names in 2015.
The Lakers wanted to try and sway Kevin Love this summer to sign with the team, but that was before his trade to the Cavs. The team hoped he would hit the market and that his ties to LA would be enough, but now it's likely he is there for the long haul. The Lakers come into this week at 8-16 on the season and while they have won two in a row over the Spurs and Wolves, there is not much hope left for this season. The team is ranked last in scoring defense and while Bryant has been strong leading the team in scoring, overall the squad is inconsistent on both ends of the floor.