The Lakers’ updated timeline on beginning to explore trade options is Dec. 15, and they are weighing three different paths, multiple team sources told The Athletic. Here’s what you need to know:
- Path 1 is to trade Russell Westbrook, plus a pick or two, for a star or multiplayer haul.
- Path 2 is to trade some combination of Patrick Beverley, Kendrick Nunn and picks (one first-round and/or multiple second-round picks) for role players who better address needs and upgrade the rotation.
- Path 3 would be two separate deals: one with Westbrook plus one first-round pick, another using a Beverley-Nunn-pick package.
Backstory
The Lakers are 8-12, sitting 13th in the Western Conference, but have won six of their last eight games.
The Lakers have been trying to determine if they prefer a smaller trade or a bigger one to address their need for better perimeter shooting and/or size, The Athletic previously reported. That includes deciding if they want to include one or both of their tradeable future first-round picks in 2027 and 2029 in any deal. The Lakers are reluctant to give up both unless there’s a trade or series of trades they believe will elevate them to contender status.
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Los Angeles weighed trading Westbrook during the offseason, but ultimately held on to him after determining the cost to shed him would be too great. He started off slowly, but has improved since coach Darvin Ham removed him from the starting lineup and inserted him into a sixth-man role.
The Lakers traded Talen Horton-Tucker to the Utah Jazz in exchange for the veteran Beverley in August. Beverley, 34, is averaging 4.2 points. 3.9 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game this season.
Nunn, 27, is in the final year of his deal in Los Angeles and has averaged 5.8 points, 1.4 rebounds and 1.3 assists.
Dec. 15 is the first day that free agents who were signed in the offseason can be traded.
Which package is most likely?
The Lakers are leaning toward option No. 2 or 3 at this point, the team sources said. That would entail making a smaller move to marginally upgrade the roster while retaining the possibility of following up with a larger Westbrook deal later in the season.
The Lakers are still evaluating their roster as they near full health, with the team’s upcoming six-game East Coast road trip a potential swing factor in how aggressively the front office dangles their first-round picks on the trade market, according to a team source.
Why Beverley and Nunn?
Beverley ($13 million) and Nunn ($5.3 million) are both underperforming relative to their contracts. With the Lakers’ needs for additional size on the wing and a better complimentary big next to Anthony Davis, along with the roster’s glut of small guards, Beverley and/or Nunn are expendable. Packaged together, the Lakers could acquire a player or players in the $20 million range.
The Lakers waived sharpshooter Matt Ryan on Thursday to reduce the roster to 14 players, as first reported by The Athletic’s Shams Charania. There are no immediate plans for the 15th roster spot, according to a team source. The Lakers can sign a free agent for the rest of the season or to a 10-day contract (beginning Jan. 5), or they can take back an extra player in a trade.
