The Los Angeles Lakers are no strangers to making trades during the regular season and this year, more than one deal could be made before the NBA deadline on Feb. 18.
With only a few weeks left before the deadline, players on the Lakers roster are starting to surface in trade rumors. Unlike in years past, no big-name players have been linked to the Lakers in these trade rumors, but three players, in particular, have been mentioned as potential trade bait for Los Angeles.
According to Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders, Brandon Bass may be one of the three most likely to be moved before the trade deadline:
The player that’s more likely to be moved is forward Brandon Bass. The Lakers tried Bass on at a low dollar amount hoping he could contribute and be something of a tutor for forward Julius Randle. With the Lakers going nowhere fast, Bass is one of the guys the front office is expected to move by the deadline.
Bass has dealt with a nagging foot injury that may complicate things if the team is intent on trading the veteran forward. Despite that fact, Bass could be involved in a deal before Feb. 19 via Kyler:
Bass has been nursing a problematic foot, so that is a concern, but the sense is the Lakers will be players at the deadline and Bass could be on his way out.
Nick Young and Roy Hibbert have also been mentioned as players on the Lakers that could be headed elsewhere before the buzzer sounds on the trade deadline.
Los Angeles is rumored to be looking to trade Hibbert to a playoff contender. Young, however, has been on the trading block for quite some time and could also be moved to a playoff team looking for a bench scorer of his caliber.