A trade for Kings shooting guard Buddy Hield appears to be the Lakers’ most realistic scenario in improving the team, wrote Sam Amick of The Athletic, citing a source.
Reported talks between LA and Sacramento have centered around Hield and Lakers forward Kyle Kuzma, though that doesn’t necessarily make Hield the Lakers’ top target. As Amick reported the source as saying, a trade for Hield is just the “most promising” of the other rumored options.
Those rumors involve Suns point guard Chris Paul, Wizards guard Russell Westbrook and several others. But Paul is expected to exercise the player option in his contract, and it’s doubtful the capped-out Lakers could put together the type of deal it’d take to acquire Westbrook.
As for the Kings, Amick wrote, “a Hield deal is likely on the horizon,” adding that Sacramento has also spoken to Philadelphia, and that those talks have been different than those centered on 76ers star guard/forward Ben Simmons.
Along with the Hield talks, the Lakers are on the lookout for a top-flight point guard, with Dennis Schroder and Alex Caruso due to hit free agency in a few weeks.
“Jeanie [Buss] and the ownership group has empowered the front office to do one thing, and that’s to smartly build a roster to win championships,” Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka said.
“I think next year, of course, hopefully, with all of our fans being able to come back and be a part of the building, we owe them the work to start the process of retooling and have a championship-caliber team that can do special things next year.
“That’s the driving passion, and there’s alignment there between Jeanie, the front office, the coaches. That will always be the goal.”
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