The Los Angeles Lakers are now halfway through the 2021-22 season and have seen mixed results, currently sitting a game above .500 at 21-20.
With the NBA trade deadline approaching on Feb. 10, the Lakers could be one of the more active teams on the market in order to make improvements to their roster to get back into championship contention.
The Lakers have already made one move, trading Rajon Rondo to the Cleveland Cavaliers, although they did not receive a player back and the motivation behind that deal was to free up a roster spot to keep Stanley Johnson on a 10-day contract.
One player the Lakers have been linked to for a while now is Jerami Grant of the Detroit Pistons as he would be the perfect fit as a bigger wing defender that can also shoot.
With the deadline approaching, the Lakers are continuing to show interest in Grant, via Shams Charania of The Athletic:
Several playoff teams are pursuing Pistons star forward Jerami Grant: The Wizards, Knicks, Blazers and Lakers among others, sources said. Grant is sidelined due to a UCL injury in his right thumb but Detroit will have a vast group of suitors for the 27-year-old. Grant, who is eligible for a four-year extension worth up to $112 million this offseason, is one of the most sought-after players this trade season.
The Pistons have the second-worst record in the NBA, so it comes as no surprise that they are shopping Grant in order to build for the future.
While the Lakers don’t have a ton to offer in trade talks, their package would look something like Talen Horton-Tucker, Kendrick Nunn and a 2027 first-round pick. They would also have to add at least one more minimum player for salary-matching purposes, and options for that could include Malik Monk or Austin Reaves to make their package a bit more enticing.
Horton-Tucker and Monk have been playing much better as of late though and Nunn has yet to show what he can bring to the team due to injury, so it remains to be seen if the Lakers would be willing to part with three key backcourt members to bring in Grant.
In 24 games this season, Grant is averaging 20.1 points, 4.8 rebounds and 2.6 assists while shooting 41.4% from the field and 33.1% from 3-point range, numbers that are also down from last season except for rebounds.
Lakers shopping Bazemore and Jordan
One thing that a number of teams are trying to do right now is unload some players in order to free up roster spots and have flexibility going into the trade deadline and buyout market.
The Lakers are one of those teams as they are reportedly shopping both Kent Bazemore and DeAndre Jordan in order to free up roster spots.
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