Kendrick Nunn is yet to make his 2021-22 season debut in a blow to the struggling Los Angeles Lakers, who had high hopes for the 26-year-old guard.
Nunn suffered a bone bruise in his knee during the 2021 preseason. Initially, the Lakers believed the former Miami Heat player would miss about a month with the injury.
But his return has been pushed back several times, with head coach Frank Vogel recently saying Nunn won’t come back before March.
But even that prognosis seems to have been overly optimistic, as Lakers vice president of basketball operations and general manager Rob Pelinka now says Nunn would be unavailable until late March, per L.A. Times reporter Dan Woike:
Lakers GM Rob Pelinka says Kendrick Nunn is slated to return for the Lakers late in March.
— Dan Woike (@DanWoikeSports) February 10, 2022
Vogel previously said the Lakers were “super excited” to sign Nunn, who was expected to play a major role in 2021-22.
However, the Purple and Gold’s patience seems to be wearing thin, as Nunn was believed part of trade conversations before Thursday’s deadline.
Nunn and Talen Horton-Tucker reportedly not enough to facilitate deadline deal
The Lakers were said to have engaged in trade talks with different teams before the deadline, including the New York Knicks and Toronto Raptors. However, L.A. reportedly couldn’t satisfy the demands of potential trade partners by offering Talen-Horton-Tucker and Nunn in exchange for the players the Purple and Gold targeted.
In addition, the Lakers are believed to have refused to include draft picks to sweeten any deal, leading to the franchise staying put on Thursday.