Lakers Reportedly Holding Out for Bigger Trade Target

Yes, the Lakers are still eyeing trades centered on point guard Russell Westbrook. Yes, they seemingly will be willing to include their next two trade-eligible picks in the first round.

But no, they aren’t interested in Nets point guard Kyrie Irving, or Pacers center Myles Turner and shooting guard Buddy Hield.

Instead, they have someone at least as noteworthy in mind, it seems, based on a conversation between Howard Beck and Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated.

“I will add one thing without going into all the detail, but I was canvassing a bunch of front office folks last week when I was workshopping my idea of ‘Can the Nets tear down now? Should they just tear down now? What could they reasonably get for Kevin Durant? Could they get anything for Kyrie Irving? Could they get anything at all for Ben Simmons?’” Beck sad on the Crossover NBA Show, via Peter Dewey of Lakers Daily.

“And in those discussions, when I brought up the Lakers, the pushback I was getting was they’re waiting for a specific player. That they’re not doing the Pacer deal, that they won’t do the Kyrie deal now that we for sure thought they would do a couple months ago, is an indication that the Lakers are waiting for a bigger piece to come loose that they think they can trade Westbrook and the two future firsts for.”

Mannix reasonably questioned if an offer of Westbrook and two future firsts would actually garner anything noteworthy in return — particularly the player Beck said they’re eyeing.

“Put it this way,” Mannix said. “I don’t know that the player, whoever that is that the Lakers may be targeting, would be acquirable for what they’re willing to give up.”

Beck agreed, stopping short of saying who the mystery player may be.

“I don’t think so either, by the way,” Beck said. “I don’t think a Westbrook at this stage of his career plus two future firsts equals a difference-maker at that level, someone who is going to make you a contender.”

In other words, all we really know is the Lakers seemingly have a target in mind. Landing that player, as always, remains another topic entirely.