The LA Lakers are having a very tough season and they may look at trade deals involving Steve Nash, Jeremy Lin, Carlos Boozer and other valuable pieces at the deadline and that could help the team target names like Rajon Rondo, Marc Gasol and Greg Monroe in the future to help Kobe Bryant end his career in Los Angeles with some winning.
The Lakers have just four wins this season and they have been struggling mightily and that is why many speculate they could look at trading their productive pieces at the deadline. According to ESPN.com reporter Marc Stein, the Lakers will listen to offers for players and they are hoping to get a draft pick or young player as compensation, as they are going nowhere fast this season. The team was granted a disabled player waiver for $4.85 million, which is half of Nash's salary after he was injured.
The moves that the Lakers make this season will be about clearing cap space and teams could use some of those deals to do the same, including with Nash. This season the Lakers will not have Nash, but he still is a valuable trade piece for teams looking to get rid of contracts and cap space and the team could try and pry something productive out of him. Lin is signed to his original Rockets contract and he will be a free agent coming up, while Boozer is in on a one year deal.
The Lakers will have money to spend next summer and they are hoping Kevin Love will hit the market, but that is not likely to happen. The Cavaliers will be interested in keeping Love long term and the Lakers may have to look at some other options. Rondo has long been considered a target for the Lakers, while Goran Dragic also could be a target. Last summer Pro Basketball Talk reported that the Lakers were interested in Dragic and that could be the way the team goes if Rondo stays in Boston or signs elsewhere.
PBT Talk reports that the Lakers will go hard after Rondo this offseason and that is no surprise, as they need a point guard and will have money to spend. Kobe Bryant may get one last shot at a title and signing Rondo would be a big help in that regard. The Lakers are Celtics are both expected to miss the playoffs this season, but with Marcus Smart and other young players in the fold, many see Boston as a better long term team than LA. Bryant and the Lakers need to sign someone or a couple of guys, as they have lost Julius Randle for the season this year and they just are bereft of talent overall. This will be another tough season, but Rondo could be on the horizon.
Greg Monroe and Marc Gasol are also free agents next summer and both players are expected to get chased by the Lakers, Celtics and Knicks. All three teams will have some money to spend and PBT writes that there are "rumblings" about the Lakers and Monroe, while the NY Post has reported the Knicks will be going hard after Gasol. The Celtics also could be a target for Gasol, as Pro Basketball Talk added there is a chance that the team would try to sign both Rondo and Gasol.
