The LA Lakers have agreed to trade for Roy Hibbert with the Indiana Pacers and players like Nick Young, Ryan Kelly and Robert Sacre could be traded in the deal after the team had interest in a DeMarcus Cousins trade, while Brandon Bass and Lou Williams have agreed to sign free agent deals and Jeremy Lin could be on his way to the Dallas Mavericks in a sign and trade move.
The Lakers missed out on the big name free agents like LaMarcus Aldridge and DeAndre Jordan, but the team has been active this offseason after the draft. The team took D'Angelo Russell with the third overall pick and reports have Los Angeles signing Bass and Williams while snagging Hibbert in a trade from Indiana. Marc Stein of ESPN.com reports that the Lakers will acquire Hibbert and that an agreement has been reached, but the players moving in the deal are still being worked on.
The Lakers may have to ditch some contracts to make the money work for Hibbert and according to Marc Spears at Yahoo Sports, players like Nick Young, Robert Sacre and Ryan Kelly could be traded to make room. The team is reportedly working on a free agent deal with Brandon Bass and that also could push the team to make deals to fit Bass along with Hibbert under the salary cap. Hibbert is making $15.5 million this season and sources reported that Nick Young is a "strong trade candidate" for the Lakers.
UPDATE: The Lakers could be in the mix for Brendan Haywood with the Cleveland Cavaliers. From Sam Amico @AmicoHoops: "Cavs still discussing trade of Haywood contract with several teams, including Lakers, Suns, Clippers. Not talking Andy Varejao with anyone." More on Haywood: Lakers Nation @LakersNation: "Lakers are looking to clear more cap space and Brendan Haywood's contract ($10.5M) is fully unguaranteed."
Adrian Wojnarowski at Yahoo Sports reports that the Lakers could try and find a third team in the deal for Hibbert to take Young and his contract. Mike Adamle reported on Twitter that the "latest scoop" on Young is that he could head to the Chicago Bulls in a deal to bring Hibbert to Los Angeles. No details have been finalized yet, but the Lakers are likely moving Young, Kelly and Sacre to get their deals done. The team is adding Bass and that could push the Young trade as well.
According to former league exec Bobby Marks, the Lakers could sign Bass for the mid-level exception and they "need to juggle the cap" to get room to sign him. Bass averaged 10 points and five rebounds last season while playing for the Celtics. The Lakers also signed Lou Williams and that makes the trade of Young very likely, as he will take over as the main offensive piece alongside Kobe Bryant. The team is excited with Russell coming in along with Williams and Williams signs after averaging 15 points per game last season with the Raptors.
The Lakers previously were interested in DeMarcus Cousins, but a deal with the Kings is looking unlikely now. According to Yahoo Sports, the Lakers and Kings "discussed a framework" about a deal around the NBA draft, but the sides did not come close to an agreement. The team discussed a deal with Julius Randle and Jordan Clarkson, but the Lakers likely will not go through with any talks now that Hibbert is being acquired. The team reportedly does not want to give up D'Angelo Russell in a deal and that likely leaves Cousins out of Los Angeles for the Lakers.
Check here for more on the Lakers trade options, Hibbert and the free agent moves for Los Angeles.
