All eyes will be on the Los Angeles Lakers with the NBA trade deadline less than a month away, although the rest of the league has already seen some fireworks.
The Toronto Raptors finally decided to trade away Pascal Siakam, acquiring Bruce Brown, Jordan Nwora and three first-round picks from the Indiana Pacers as well as Kira Lewis from the New Orleans Pelicans. The Raptors dealt OG Anunonby to the New York Knicks a couple of weeks ago and are embracing the next era of their franchise.
Meanwhile, the Lakers are an active buyer for the second consecutive season as they look for upgrades in the backcourt. The Lakers are reportedly in the market for a guard with speed and quickness, an area of need given the knee injury to Gabe Vincent.
There are a few point guards that could be moved at the deadline, with Los Angeles rumored to be eyeing Tyus Jones of the Washington Wizards and Collin Sexton of the Utah Jazz, Dave McMenamin of ESPN reported on NBA Countdown before Wednesday’s game against the Dallas Mavericks:
“You’re looking at the Lakers surveying the market for point guard help and one guy you can look at is certainly Tyus Jones with the Washington Wizards. He’s 27 years old, he’s highly efficient, fifty two percent from the field, 42 percent from three. He’s on a $14 million expiring contract, and we’ve seen the Wizards are not necessarily competitive right now with the group that they have so perhaps they would be looking for some sort of future assets if they Lakers can bring that guy in right now.
“Another guy you look to is Collin Sexton. 25 year old, athletic, competitive, averages about 17 points and four assists a game. More of a combo guard but certainly someone that has ties to the Lakers in the sense that his agent Rich Paul represents LeBron James and Anthony Davis.”
Jones has always been a solid backup point guard since entering the league as he takes of the basketball and is a capable shooter and distributor. Meanwhile, Sexton is a sparkplug scorer who can get his own shot and uplift a second unit.
Both players fill some need on the current Lakers roster and it’ll be interesting to see whether or not the front office pulls the trigger on either player.
‘Zero percent chance’ Lakers trade for Zach LaVine at NBA trade deadline
While neither Jones or Sexton qualifies as a star, they are solid role players who would fit in well immediately. Meanwhile, it appears that their interest in Chicago Bulls star Zach LaVine has waned as there is reportedly zero chance that they trade for him.
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