The LA Lakers have been terrible this season and while it's likely they will sell at the trade deadline rather than buy, Los Angeles could look at names like Marc Gasol, Dion Waiters, JR Smith, Amar'e Stoudemire or Andrea Bargnani for some support for Kobe Bryant, as some of those players have expiring deals and that would set up the team for a strong run in free agency in 2015.
The Lakers have been bad now for a couple years and this is a plan the team has to rebuild around Bryant with other stars coming in, but so far that has not worked. The team has options next summer in free agency with Marc Gasol and Rajon Rondo, but their real target was Kevin Love and now that looks like it will not even be an option since he is with the Cavaliers. Love can opt out of his deal next summer, but it's unlikely he will do that and that is one reason why the Lakers could look at making moves.
The team doesn't have as many assets to move as they used to, but they have players down the roster that could interest teams making playoff runs. Bryant is making a ton of money and taking a ton of shots and right now the Lakers are just 2-9 on the year and they are about to play a tough part of the schedule. If the team gets really bad, they could start making moves and they are a factor at the trade deadline if that happens. Rondo is going to be a major target in free agency and the Lakers could be an option for him as well.
The Celtics will have a decision to make with Rajon Rondo and while he may not be traded, there is a good chance he comes up in rumors. Rondo already did this summer with the Kings and teams like the Lakers, Knicks and Rockets all will be interested in him. According to Pro Basketball Talk, the Celtics want to see if Rondo can stay healthy this season after coming back and playing 30 games last year following his ACL surgery, while Rondo wants to see where the team is at before making a major decision on an extension.
According to Pro Basketball Talk, Carter-Williams was being shopped heavily by the Sixers last summer and that came after he won the rookie of the year award. Grantland writer Zach Lowe reports that the Sixers likely were hoping to get a deal with Williams's value higher than it might ever get. Williams had a strong season with 16.7 points, 6.2 rebounds and 6.3 assists per game, but some wrote that off as a player putting up solid stats with a terrible team, which the Sixers were last season.
The Cavaliers have Dion Waiters and Tristan Thompson as potential options to trade and this comes as they have built a super team with LeBron James. Thompson is coming up to contract time and that could lead to a deal, while Waiters has potential and could be a target for teams.
