(Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
It has been an interesting week for the Los Angeles Lakers as the storied NBA franchise has made controversial moves to right the ship next season and beyond, with superstar LeBron James presumably re-signing with the team.
After hiring first-timer JJ Redick as the team’s new head coach, replacing the recently fired Darvin Ham, and then drafting Bronny James out of the University of Southern California in the second round of the 2024 NBA Draft, the Lakers have received a lot of criticism for moves that seem to be nothing but an attempt to appease LeBron James.
Now that the team has addressed the head coach vacancy and brought in two rookies through the NBA Draft, Dalton Knecht, arguably the steal of the draft, being the other, the attention turns to moves that need to be made to improve their roster.
It appears that the team is trying to make two moves this summer with one being signing a notable free agent, namely Klay Thompson, and trading for another game-changer using D’Angelo Russell as arguably their best trade piece.
Along with Russell being on the trade block after he opted into the final year of his deal, the Lakers are also dangling Rui Hachimura, Jarred Vanderbilt and Gabe Vincent as trade bait, according to Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports via NBA Central.
“The Lakers have also been exploring trade scenarios with the contracts of D’Angelo Russell, Rui Hachimura, Jarred Vanderbilt and Gabe Vincent, sources said, and Brook Lopez has been one of the primary options on the Lakers’ board of hopeful acquisitions, sources said,” Fischer wrote.
Lakers players in trade talks per @JakeLFischer:
D’Angelo Russell
Rui Hachimura
Jarred Vanderbilt
Gabe Vincent
“The Lakers have also been exploring trade scenarios with the contracts of D’Angelo Russell, Rui Hachimura, Jarred Vanderbilt and Gabe Vincent, sources said, and… pic.twitter.com/xqygp6C5kE
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) June 30, 2024
With the Lakers needing to make some big moves this summer, it’ll be interesting to see if general manager Rob Pelinka and their front office can pull it off while making LeBron James a happy man in Los Angeles.
Only time will tell whether the Lakers will be a star-studded squad with title aspirations or a team that may continue to struggle moving forward.
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