Lakers News: Darvin Ham Prevented LA From Trading This Bench Player

Your Los Angeles Lakers navigated the NBA trade deadline over the last few weeks and ultimately decided that no move was better than making a bad move. Los Angeles stood pat the deadline despite the team playing inconsistent basketball all season long.

They will now look toward the buyout market, where some solid options do present themselves. But the choice to stand pat is one that not many people will take lightly.

The Lakers had weighed different offers for players on their roster, including forward Taurean Prince. Prince has been in the news far too often this season due to head coach Darvin Ham's insistence on playing him heavy minutes.

However, the team decided to not move Prince due to Ham voicing his support for the team to keep Prince for the rest of the year. The Athletic's Jovan Buha explains.

"With limited interest in their players with multiple years left on their contracts, one option the Lakers weighed was trading Taurean Prince, who is making $4.5 million on an expiring contract. However, head coach Darvin Ham was one of the vocal supporters of retaining Prince, according to team sources."

Per Jovan Buha of The Athletic

Prince will be a free agent at the end of the season, so it could have made sense to move him. However, with the already limited wing depth that the Lakers have moving him may have caused more problems as well.

Through 50 games, Prince has averaged 9.7 points and three rebounds per game. He is shooting 38.9% from three-point land and recently has moved to the bench.

The decision to hold onto Prince makes sense, but when it comes to asset management, the Lakers could have gotten something for him. Now he can leave at the end of the season for nothing while the Lakers potentially scramble to replace his production.