Lakers News Feed: Breaking Down Rumored Trade Talks For Dennis Smith Jr.

Trevor Lane
2 Min Read
Richard Mackson-USA TODAY Sports

The Los Angeles Lakers find themselves in a tight race for the Western Conference playoffs but they might need to get creative in order to get there. Thanks to an avalanche of injuries they currently find themselves sitting ninth, one spot short of the playoffs, and may feel some pressure to get a deal done before the Feb. 7 NBA trade deadline that will give them the boost that they need.

With that in mind, a recent report revealed that the Lakers were one of the teams holding trade talks with the Dallas Mavericks for disgruntled point guard Dennis Smith Jr. With Lonzo Ball lost to an ankle injury, Smith would give the Lakers another ballhandler to turn to.

As noted on this episode of the Lakers Nation News Feed, while it appears that the Mavs didn’t find the offer they were hoping for and plan to now keep Smith, the Lakers’ involvement in these talks still reveals some details of their plans moving forward.

The team is essentially looking to accomplish three goals currently, as they want to make the playoffs this season, maintain salary cap flexibility to chase top free agents this summer, and keep their tradable assets in case a deal materializes for a star, such as Anthony Davis of the New Orleans Pelicans.

Accomplishing all three simultaneously wouldn’t be easy, but a trade for Smith just might be able to check all the boxes.

That said, with talks fizzling it would appear that Smith will be staying in Dallas for the time being, but if nothing else it looks as though Los Angeles will once again be aggressive in their quest to build a contender.

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Trevor Lane is a longtime NBA and Los Angeles Lakers fan who had the good fortune to grow up during the glory days of the Showtime Lakers, when Magic Johnson, Kareem-Abdul-Jabbar, James Worthy, and the rest ruled the Great Western Forum. He has written about basketball, soccer, fantasy sports, MMA, and even pro wrestling over the course of his career, but the spectacle that is the Lakers is his true passion. He made the leap into podcasting for Lakers Nation and provides voice-over analysis for our YouTube channel. With a who's who of stars gracing the Lakers lineup over the years, including Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Shaquille O'Neal, Pau Gasol, and many others, the Lakers always provide plenty to talk about. When he isn't writing or recording, Trevor can be found spending time with his wife and daughter or on the sidelines for one of the youth teams he coaches. Outside of the Lakers, Trevor is a supporter of the LA Galaxy, US Soccer, Dallas Cowboys, and Los Angeles Dodgers. Contact: trevor@mediumlargela.com