Report: Lakers Interested in Trading For Kevin Durant

At 11-16, the Los Angeles Lakers are desperate. In the NBA, teams prefer to either be rebuilding or contending, but the Lakers are doing neither. With three max contracts on their books, the team is certainly not rebuilding, but sitting in 12th place, they certainly aren't contending either.

In order to avoid traveling down this current directionless path, the Lakers must make one of two decisions. The team can admit defeat and enter a rebuild by trading their stars, or they can make one last push for contention by making a win-now move. Because trading LeBron James is essentially not an option, and an Anthony Davis trade may be equally as difficult, it seems the Lakers will be buyers at this year's deadline.

The Athletic's Jovan Buha recently confirmed this expectation, saying the Lakers are indeed buyers this year, but the logistics remain complicated. According to Buha, "In the ultimate pie-in-the-sky scenario, the Lakers have interest in Kevin Durant, Damian Lillard and Bradley Beal if any of the three stars were to become available."

As Buha notes, the Lakers likely do not have the package for either of these stars, even with their two future first-round picks attached, but a superstar like Kevin Durant would be something the Lakers have interest in.

Essentially forced into "buyer mode" with LeBron James on their team, there is a real chance the Lakers mortgage their already light package of future assets in an attempt to make one last push with this core. If such a deal nets a Durant-like player, then it's of course justifiable, but there is little to no chance that a team like Brooklyn is interested in what the Laker could offer.

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