The NBA trade deadline is coming and names like Greg Monroe and Brandon Jennings could be potential targets for the Los Angeles Lakers, Houston Rockets, NY Knicks and Sacramento Kings for the Detroit Pistons, as the team has been terrible this season and Monroe comes in heading into free agency this summer, while Kevin Love has also been a target since he can also opt out, but he likely will not be moving from Cleveland.
The Lakers reportedly made calls about Jennings and Monroe earlier in the season and those talks could pick up closer to the deadline. According to ESPN.com, the Lakers are interested in Monroe, as they see him as a free agent target over the summer and as the Plan B option if Marc Gasol stays in Memphis. The article puts together some reasons that the Lakers would trade for Monroe now rather than wait in free agency and one reason is to convince him to stay in Los Angeles long term.
Either way, the Lakers have shown that they are willing to make moves even though they are having a terrible season and that could lead to some deals at the deadline. Ramona Shelburne of ESPN wrote that the Lakers have been making calls around the league about deals and that a Monroe trade could be a solid option come the trade deadline. The team has been terrible, but they have some young talent and adding a player like Monroe could be massive moving forward.
The Lakers also have been looking at upgrading at point guard, as Jeremy Lin is done after this season and Nash has been a lost cause. The Lakers looked into a Rajon Rondo deal before he was moved to the Dallas Mavericks, but the team did not have enough to sway the Celtics. The Lakers reportedly offered Nash along with Jordan Hill and draft picks, but that wasn't enough for Danny Ainge. The team will look at Rondo and Goran Dragic this summer on the free agent market, but it's likely those two point guards remain with their current teams
That is one reason why Shelburne speculates that the Lakers could be interested in a Monroe deal. The Pistons likely will want to trade Jennings and he could be a solid option for the Lakers if their targets sign with other teams or stand pat this summer. Getting Jennings could help avoid those issues and he comes in making $8,344,497 next year, which is not that bad compared to some other players and with the cap space that the Lakers are expected to have.
The Lakers original plan a couple years ago was to target Love on the free agent market, but after his trade to the Cavaliers, it's unlikely that he ends up hitting the market now. Love likely will wait until his deal is done to sign a new contract, as he could make more money next summer rather than in 2015 before the new league deal is reached. The Lakers will be looking closely at what Love does, but it's likely he remains in Cleveland.
The Lakers know they have a limited window with Bryant and they feel that if they can't do anything in the next two seasons, Bryant likely will retire. The Lakers have looked far and wide for trade targets over the past two years and now the 2015 summer will be the most significant time over the last couple years for the franchise.
