The Los Angeles Lakers are not being quiet about their pursuit of more shooters to team up with LeBron James and Anthony Davis.
Meanwhile, the New York Knicks have already shaken up their rotation after a pedestrian 14-13 start to the season. Could these two big-market teams get together for an in-season trade?
Michael Scotto of HoopsHype noted recently that the Lakers and Knicks had engaged in trade talks that would’ve sent three-time All-Defensive Team performer Patrick Beverley and fellow guard Kendrick Nunn to the Big Apple for high-priced wing Evan Fournier.
According to Scotto, the talks came before New York opted to bench Cam Reddish. It remains to be seen if this decision will have a role in trade talks moving forward. What we do know is that Fournier hasn’t suited up since Nov. 13 while finding himself a healthy inactive a vast majority of the time since then.
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What this trade would mean for the Los Angeles Lakers
It’s being noted on a never-ending loop that the Lakers are looking for more shooting. Neither Beverley (23% 3-point this season) nor Nunn (26.6%) have provided that thus far this season.
The question here becomes value for other teams. While the two guards have struggled to make an impact in 2022-23, both are in their contract years. This makes said contracts pretty valuable, especially if another team can move off a longer-term deal. Beverley is earning $13 million this season with Nunn’s salary coming in at $5.25 million. This would enable Los Angeles to acquire a salary of $20-plus million.
For general manager Rob Pelinka and Co., there’s a need to find a happy medium between short-term contention and long-term relevance. The Lakers currently sit at 11-15 on the season and wouldn’t be in the play-in tournament if things ended today.
There’s been push back from the Los Angeles Lakers’ brass about moving off the two future first-round picks they have available in trades. While acquiring Fournier wouldn’t be too much of a needle-mover, he does fit a need and wouldn’t cost additional draft capital. Prior to struggling this season, the 30-year-old wing was averaging 16.3 points on 40% shooting from distance since the start of the 2019-20 campaign.
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New York Knicks likely to make a move
New York is in a similar situation as the Lakers this season in that its also wasting away in mediocrity despite having won four consecutive games since the benching of Reddish.
It stands to reason that Reddish will be the first player moved as front office head Leon Rose and Co. look to build a better supporting cast behind Jalen Brunson and Julius Randle. The major question here is whether acquiring Patrick Beverley and Kendrick Nunn would move the needle a ton of this team as the season progresses.
Both Quentin Grimes and Immanuel Quickley are seeing more consistent action in the backcourt this season. It doesn’t make much sense to limit their minutes while bringing in two veterans who boast very little upside.
On the other hand, the Knicks would be in a much better long-term situation if they were able to move off Fournier’s long-term deal by bringing in two expiring deals. This hypothetical trade would save New York $18.86 million against the cap in 2023-24.
We fully expect the New York Knicks to be active ahead of the NBA trade deadline. They have assets in terms of young players and draft picks to offer up other teams after being in on Donovan Mitchell this past offseason. However, it stands to reason that a trade similar to the one proposed here wouldn’t be big enough to change the dynamics in New York.