One of the things the Los Angeles Lakers are said to be targeting at the trade deadline is speed and athleticism in their backcourt, hoping to improve defensively on the perimeter.
The Lakers’ top target for a while has been Atlanta Hawks guard Dejounte Murray and while talks may pick back up closer to the Feb. 8 trade deadline, they seem to have slowed down for now with the two teams not being able to come to an agreement.
Given the Lakers’ lack of assets, they may have to target players that wouldn’t be as expensive as Murray in order to make roster upgrades. One name that has come up in recent weeks is Marcus Smart considering the Memphis Grizzlies have had a nightmare season and are unlikely to make the playoffs.
Smart would definitely help improve the Lakers defensively, so it’s not surprising to see that they have interest in the 29-year-old, according to Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports:
While several clubs — including the Milwaukee Bucks and Los Angeles Lakers, sources said — have phoned Memphis about obtaining defensive stalwart Marcus Smart, the Grizzlies have shut down any overtures for the veteran guard, sources said.
While the Grizzlies aren’t going anywhere this season, they still have plans of getting back into contention next year when Ja Morant gets healthy so them keeping Smart, who they traded Tyus Jones and a pair of first-round picks to receive in the offseason, wouldn’t be a surprise. Smart is under contract for two more seasons after this one at a reasonable rate of around $19 million per year.
Given the Lakers’ lack of point of attack defense though, going after someone like Smart makes sense, even if they are ultimately unable to land the guard. The former Defensive Player of the Year is also averaging a career-high 14.5 points per game this season.
Regardless though, it appears the Lakers will have to look elsewhere for backcourt upgrades at the trade deadline unless Memphis changes course in the next week and decides to entertain Smart offers.
Rich Paul confirms that Lakers won’t trade LeBron James
Given the Lakers’ struggles this season, some speculation popped up that LeBron James might ask for a trade after he posted a cryptic tweet.
His agent Rich Paul of Klutch Sports recently put an end to that speculation, however, coming out and saying that James won’t be traded.
Now that that’s out of the way, the Lakers front office can focus on upgrading the roster around James, whether that be adding Smart of someone else.
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