The Los Angeles Lakers were one of the more active teams leading up to the trade deadline, first pulling off a blockbuster by sending Russell Westbrook, Juan Toscano-Anderson and Damian Jones to the Utah Jazz in a three-team deal that netted D’Angelo Russell, Malik Beasley and Jarred Vanderbilt.
L.A. wasn’t done there as they then sent Thomas Bryant to the Denver Nuggets in a trade that brought back a trio of second-round picks.
While many assumed the Lakers’ heavy lifting was done after those two deals, there still was one more deal out there for L.A. They traded Patrick Beverley and a second-round pick to the Orlando Magic for Mo Bamba, a player they have had interest in for a while now.
Bamba didn’t seem to be too upset about being traded as he posted a picture of himself with a U-Haul truck already full and ready to go to L.A., via Bleacher Report:
Mo Bamba already hit the U-Haul 🤣 pic.twitter.com/dFejL9Tgbm
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) February 9, 2023
Bamba is a player that should help the Lakers defensively in the frontcourt while also providing some floor-spacing.
In his five-year career, the former No. 6 overall pick has averaged 1.4 blocks and shot 36% from 3-point range. In 40 games this season, Bamba is averaging 7.3 points, 4.6 rebounds and 1.0 blocks in 17 minutes per game while shooting 39.8% from 3.
Considering he minutes have decreased severely this season, he is likely welcoming a trade to L.A. where he can serve as the primary backup center to Anthony Davis with Bryant and Jones no longer in the fold.
New Lakers additions not expected to debut against Bucks
Through all of this madness, the Lakers still have a game to prepare for on Thursday night against Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks.
It looks like L.A. will be severely short-handed though as none of their new additions are expected to be ready to suit up.
The Lakers should have everyone by the time they take the floor on Saturday against the Golden State Warriors, although they will obviously look a lot different.
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