The NBA trade deadline came and went on Thursday and the Los Angeles Lakers chose to stand pat, not making any moves. The team had been linked to a number of different players over the past few weeks, but ultimately were unable to find the right deal they felt was in their best interest to make.
Most of the rumors surrounding potential Lakers trades focused on D’Angelo Russell or Rui Hachimura being sent out with teams reportedly asking for Austin Reaves as well. But there was another player apparently being thrown in deals as well in Taurean Prince.
According to Jovan Buha of The Athletic, the Lakers considered dealing Prince as other pieces were not garnering enough interest. However, head coach Darvin Ham was among those that vouched for retaining him, which the Lakers wound up doing:
With limited interest in their players with multiple years left on their contracts, one option the Lakers weighed was trading Taurean Prince, who is making $4.5 million on an expiring contract. However, head coach Darvin Ham was one of the vocal supporters of retaining Prince, according to team sources.
Prince has been solid for the Lakers this season, being one of the team’s most reliable 3-point shooters and a decent defender as well. He certainly has the faith of Ham, who has regularly kept Prince on the floor in fourth quarter situations, sometimes to a fault.
For Ham to be so vocal in retaining Prince shows how valued he is. While he has had his issues at times this season, Prince has been a reliable and consistent presence for the team more often than not and unless the Lakers were getting a real upgrade, a deal likely wasn’t worth it.
In the end, the Lakers have the roster they are set with aside from a potential buyout signing so Prince will be a big factor in the success of this team.
Rob Pelinka explains why Lakers didn’t make a move at trade deadline
Some weren’t happy with Rob Pelinka and the front office for not making a move at the trade deadline, but the Lakers general manager explained why they chose to stand pat.
“We talked a lot about continuity at the beginning of the season,” Pelinka said. “We really like the players on our team and we’re confident in this group of players. Of course, that said, our job, my job, is to always look for ways to upgrade our roster. But you can’t buy a house that’s not for sale. We spent a lot of time looking for ways to use assets to make our team better. But the right move wasn’t there.
Pelinka added that the franchise didn’t want to make a marginal move that wouldn’t really improve the team and that with three first-round draft picks available to move this summer, the possibility of a bigger move is far greater.
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