Lakers Reviewing Their Interest in Veteran 3&D Wing Draft Night Trade: Report
Royce O’Neale may be a less expensive trade possibility for the Los Angeles Lakers even if he isn’t as showy and decorated as Dejounte Murray.
The Lakers are reportedly reevaluating their interest in trading for O’Neale, one of their trade targets on the Brooklyn Nets roster, on draft night, according to Dan Woike of the Los Angeles Times.
On January 21, Woike reported, “There’s interest in Washington point guard Tyus Jones and centre Daniel Gafford, Charlotte guard Terry Rozier, and Brooklyn’s wings Royce O’Neal (whom they were discussing in draft night trades) and Dorian Finney-Smith.”
The Nets have sufficient incentive to trade for O’Neale before the February 8 trade deadline since his contract with a borderline play-in club is about to expire.
According to Yahoo Sports’ Jake Fischer in June of last year, the Nets wanted a first-round selection for O’Neale over the summer. However, by now, that cost ought to be less.
On January 19, during the Brooklyn Nets’ incredible 130-112 blowout of the Lakers, O’Neale played 18 minutes off the bench without scoring. All five of his field goal attempts—all from the 3-point line—were unsuccessful. However, his season long 3-point percentage is only 36%.
Despite the Nets’ abundance of wings, the 30-year-old veteran O’Neale is averaging 7.2 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 3.5 assists in 25 minutes this season.
Darvin Ham slams the Lakers’ subpar second half against the Nets
After losing their last two games, Lakers coach Darvin Ham was not happy with his team’s performance in the second half against the Nets.
“We’re aiming for the first half,” Ham said to reporters via Spectrum SportsNet after the defeat. Following those two games, those two victories, the inconsistency surfaced and became apparent in the second half. But we can’t justify our actions by feeling sorry for ourselves. We only need to choose which side to play. We witnessed the same players who assembled the first half and the same players who permitted the second half.
Ham was no longer able to claim the Lakers’ comparatively healthy roster—only Gabe Vincent and Cam Reddish missed games because of knee injuries—as an explanation for their patchy performance.
Ham said, “The excuses are over.” “We have to play hoops.”
Lakers Eye Bruce Brown
Bruce Brown, who was Denver’s sixth man during the Nuggets’ season-ending sweep of the Lakers in the Western Conference Finals, is in ahead of O’Neale on the Lakers’ trade board.
Before the Indiana Pacers beat them with a $45 million, two-year offer, the Lakers were the front-runners to sign Brown in free agency. The Toronto Raptors included Brown in their trade deal for Pascal Siakam.
Several sources indicate that the Lakers will be interested if the Raptors decide to reroute Brown.
On January 19, Jovan Buha of The Athletic said, “Team sources indicate that the Lakers are interested in acquiring Bruce Brown Jr. if the Toronto Raptors decide to part ways with him.” Before Indiana jumped in with a cap-space offer, the Lakers thought they were the front-runners to sign Brown utilising the team’s nontaxpayer midlevel exception. The Lakers had been after Brown since the summer.
“If Brown is available for trade, he’s going to be one of the most sought-after players, just as he was last summer. Important to note: Brown cannot be coupled with another player in a prospective trade since he was previously transferred from Indiana to Toronto in the [Pascal] Siakam transaction.
Alder Almo writes about basketball for Heavy, covering the Golden State Warriors, Los Angeles Lakers, and New York Knicks. He has worked in print, television, and digital media for more than 15 years, both domestically and internationally. In the past, he covered the NBA for Off the Glass and the Knicks for Empire Sports Media. Alder now resides in Jersey City, New Jersey, although he was born in the Philippines. Details on Alder Almo
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Unexpectedly, the Los Angeles Lakers render a failing player untouchable before to the NBA trade deadline.
Lebron James and Anthony Davis don’t seem to be the only untouchable players on the Los Angeles Lakers as they try to make some moves before the NBA trade deadline to strengthen a losing squad.
The Lakers have had a forgettable first half for the second year in a row. They return a large portion of their team from last season’s run to the Western Conference Finals, but they are still one game below.500 and tied for the last NBA Play-In berth going into their matchup with the Portland Trail Blazers on Sunday.
Related: According to reports, the Los Angeles Lakers’ blockbuster deal that includes Dejounte Murray depends on moving one player in particular.
But because general manager Rob Pelinka accomplished just that the previous season, there is optimism that the club may turn things around before the trade deadline. Though Zach LaVine and Dejounte Murray have been the subject of much conjecture, it has long been believed that LeBron James and Anthony Davis are the only untouchables on the team. That may not be the case, however.
The Los Angeles Lakers see Austin Reaves as almost unbeatable.
Jovan Buha, a Lakers writer for The Athletic, said on Friday that while Austin Reaves isn’t quite “untouchable,” he is the closest player to any player outside of James and Davis.
According to club and league sources, the Lakers “value [Reaves] highly and have no interest in trading him,” Buha reported. “He has at least two more seasons left on a team-friendly, cost-controlled contract. According to those sources, the Lakers would need to acquire numerous rotation improvements or a clear-cut All-Star (someone better than Murray or LaVine, for example) before they would contemplate dealing Reaves. All other Laker players are available.
2023–24 NBA Power Rankings: Assessing each of the 30 clubs in anticipation of the NBA trade deadline
Furthermore See also: NBA Power Rankings for 2023–24: Assessing all 30 clubs as the trade deadline approaches
Reaves has battled for the most of the last several months after a breakthrough season in 2022–2023. This season, he is playing more minutes even though his figures for assists, rebounds, and points per game are all higher. Despite shooting more this season, his field goal and three-point percentages are down.
2023–24 numbers for Austin Reaves: 15.0 PPG, 4.2 RPG, 5.2 APG, 0.9 SPG, 34% 3PT
Additionally, he has been unruly at times this season in defence, which is partly why head coach Darvin Ham temporarily removed him in the starting lineup.
Related: An NBA insider explains why the Los Angeles Lakers’ troubles stem from Lebron James: “He’s a nightmare in defence.”
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