The Los Angeles Lakers have been mentioned numerous times in rumors leading up to the trade deadline on Thursday and one name who has been brought up consistently is Lou Williams.
Williams has been one of the team’s best scorers this year and many playoff teams could likely use his skills, but general manager Mitch Kupchak has said he doesn’t think the team will make a trade before the deadline.
There is still plenty of time, however, and according to Michael Pina of Bleacher Report, several teams may look to acquire Williams before the deadline is up:
Lou Williams is committed to LA, but "several teams" that couldn't pay him last summer may make a run B4 tomorrow's deadline, per a source.
— Michael Pina (@MichaelVPina) February 17, 2016
Williams has enjoyed a very solid first season with the Lakers. He is tied for second on the team in scoring at 15.4 points per game and has been excellent at getting to the free throw line, averaging more than six attempts per game. He also has a very attractive contract, being owed only $14 million over the next two seasons.
It makes sense that teams would be interested in someone like Williams, but actually coming to terms on a deal is extremely difficult. Moving Williams would clear up time for the young guards, but the team would have to get something valuable in return. The Lakers also don’t want to sacrifice the cap space they have this summer in which they will have room to sign two players to maximum contracts.
