Lakers Willing to Trade Key Players to Land Gary Trent Jr From Toronto
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At this point, Lakers fans have to temper expectations at the upcoming deadline. Despite all of the rumors floating around, experts keep coming back to the point that Los Angeles has nothing to offer teams. That means that in terms of current talent and future picks, they're practically bankrupt in the market this year.
But this rumor is sure to grab the attention of Lakers fans all over. The latest report suggests that Los Angeles is very interested in acquiring rising star Gary Trent Jr from the Toronto Raptors. So much so that they might be willing to trade away some key players to get him out West.
Jake Fischer spoke on ‘The NBA Chats’ podcast with Alen Ramic and revealed that the Lakers would be willing to move some of their bigs. That would include Dwight Howard or DeAndre Jordan with the need being evident up in Toronto.
It's pretty well-known right now that the Lakers are shopping Talen Hotron-Tucker, Kendrick Nunn, and their 2027 first-round pick. They've also been rumored to be willing to move Dwight, DJ, and Kent Bazemore.
In order to pull off a trade for Trent Jr, they would have to move pretty much all of those guys, with a few exceptions. He is averaging 18.1 points per game and could very easily slot into the Lakers lineup.
The 23-year-old's ability to shoot accurately from deep and defend the wings would be huge for Los Angeles. He also could potentially be under contract for the next two seasons, though he does carry a player option for the 2023-24 season.
The biggest problem is building a package that the Raptors would be willing to accept. Teams do not value THT the way the Lakers do, and it's shown up in a lack of willingness to take that package from other teams around the league.
Toronto is the number 7 seed in a very tough Eastern Conference this year. They do need some help at the 5, but there are probably better options out there for them than Dwight Howard and an aging DeAndre Jordan. So while it's not likely that they land GTJ, it's fun to dream.
He would drastically change the way this team plays.
