The Los Angeles Lakers are hitting a difficult part of their schedule and will have to fight through a long December, but off the court, the action is heating up as teams begin to discuss deals in advance of the trade deadline.
With the goal of having enough salary cap space to sign two free agents to max contracts next summer, the Lakers will have to be smart with the trades that they make. It won’t be easy, but the ideal situation would have them freeing up room without hurting the team too much in the present, which is a difficult balance to strike.
Lakers Nation Podcast host Trevor Lane brings on guest Anthony Irwin of Locked On Lakers to discuss what moves the team will look to make by the Feb. 8 trade deadline. They analyze who may be put on the trade block and why, as well as what Los Angeles will be looking to get in return.
Plus, Anthony discusses a hypothetical trade scenario that would land Paul George in Los Angeles a little sooner than anyone expected, and it’s a move that may not be too far outside the realm of possibility.
Additionally, Julius Randle has been on fire this season and become a versatile player on both ends of the floor.
However, with his contract expiring at the end of the season, rumors have persisted that the Lakers may look to trade him rather than pay him big bucks on a new deal. At this point, has Randle simply played too well for the Lakers to part with, or is now the time to make a move and get value for Randle before he hits free agency?
All that and much more on this episode of the LN Podcast, just click the link above to listen!
Podcast time stamps
1:15- What makes a good trade?
2:45- What do the Lakers want in a trade?
4:30- Trade for Paul George now?
18:30- Who will Lakers consider trading?
25:30- Is Julius Randle too good to trade?
32:00- Trade at the deadline or wait til the summer?
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