There is no denying that the Los Angeles Lakers still need to improve their perimeter defense. The team is not the most athletic and when facing squads with multiple excellent athletes, the Lakers have often struggled. However, there is still plenty of time for the Lakers to improve this aspect of their team as the NBA trade deadline is still months away.
One player who would be the perfect addition is Herb Jones of the New Orleans Pelicans. A 2024 First Team All-Defense selection, Jones is one of the best perimeter defenders in the league and would slide in perfectly next to Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves. And with the Pelicans struggling mightily this season, currently holding the worst record in the West, some feel they could be sellers in the coming months.
But that might not be the case, at least when it comes to Jones, as Dan Woike of The Athletic reports that the Pelicans aren’t interested in dealing the wing and even if they were, the Lakers wouldn’t have the assets to interest them:
While Lakers fans can fantasize about some all-out liquidation of the three-win Pelicans’ roster, team and league sources tell The Athletic that New Orleans is not interested in moving Jones. And considering what LA would have to offer in a deal, expiring contracts and a single first-round pick, the Pelicans almost certainly wouldn’t engage at that price point.
Maybe the view of the Lakers’ assets or the Pelicans’ view of Jones will change between now and the Feb. 5 NBA trade deadline, but as of now, sources point out, New Orleans would need a whole lot to be convinced otherwise.
Matching salaries to make a Jones deal work is no issue, but as is pointed out, there just isn’t a lot of interest in the Lakers’ assets. Dalton Knecht is not viewed highly and the only first-round pick the Lakers can trade is in 2031 and a pick that far out just doesn’t hold as much weight when the team has Doncic under contract long-term.
Jones may be an ideal addition for the Lakers, but he would be ideal for most teams as an All-Defense level defender who has shown improvements as a shooter. If the Pelicans do want to move him, it sounds as if the Lakers are likely to be outbid, so if he was someone they had their eye on, the front office might need to look elsewhere.
Considering Jones signed a three-year, $68 million extension this past offseason, it makes sense to hang onto him for now and he isn’t even eligible to be traded until Jan. 14.
Lakers’ LeBron James dismisses any thoughts of playoffs at this point in the season
The defensive issues of the Lakers are being exposed in certain games and it is that concern which has some believing this team isn’t a true championship contender. But LeBron James isn’t willing to give any thoughts to the playoffs this early into the season.
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