The Los Angeles Lakers are struggling and still in the midst of rebuilding which means they could be active once the trade market heats up in the NBA. The Lakers are looking to build for their post-Kobe Bryant era and right now the young players they have in place are not producing like the team needs them to. With D'Angelo Russell and Julius Randle sitting on the bench, will trades be a priority in the coming month?
At the moment, the Lakers are starting Larry Nance Jr and Lou Williams while Russell and Randle come off the bench. Both players have been struggling since the start of the season and head coach Byron Scott had no choice but to send both players to the reserves. The move did not really pay off against the Toronto Raptors, but Scott is hopeful the benching is a wake up call as the Lakers desperately need the two to improve quickly.
"Look, [Russell and Randle] are young. They still have a long way to go. They've got a lot of work to do," Scott said, via ESPN.com. "This change wasn't so much based on them not performing up to their capability. It's based on where we are as a team. That's why I made this adjustment tonight. We're 3-17, so obviously, it's not working. So I wanted to get some new blood in there, some fresh blood, and see how those guys play."
According to the Los Angeles Daily News, trades are going to become a priority for the Lakers in the near future. Already, both Nick Young and Roy Hibbert have seen their names tossed around in talks, but will they be the only ones? Selling teams on Young or Hibbert might be hard, but getting a good return on Jordan Clarkson would be very easy. Bleacher Report suggests that of all the players on the Lakers' roster, he should be the one shopped. At the moment, Clarkson is their best scoring option, but he is headed to being a restricted free agent. The Lakers are not likely to pay him what he can command elsewhere. Getting a valued trade now might be the best move going forward.
Scott told the media prior to the season starting that he envisioned a backcourt of Clarkson and Russell for years to come. Well that plan is not working out right now and if the Lakers really want to invest in Russell, dealing Clarkson could get them a return elsewhere. There are no confirmed talks with other teams in regards to Young, Clarkson or Hibbert. If made available, several teams could eye a deal for Clarkson as both a short-term and long-term point guard option.
