It was reported over the weekend that the Lakers have an interest in P.J. Tucker and DeMarcus Cousins and with Houston aiming to bring back a player in return (rather than draft picks), Los Angeles has a few options.
While the franchise probably doesn’t solely want to rely on either of the Rockets’ big men for their anticipating playoff run, adding the pair would make either Marc Gasol or Montrezl Harrell expendable. If it’s one or the other, I’d speculate that Harrell would be the one to go since he likely has higher trade value around the league, and Harrell alone might be enough on his own to bring back the duo either with the Rockets taking on Harrell or sending him elsewhere in a three-way trade (again, purely speculation at this point).
Harrell, who signed a two-year deal during the offseason, is trade eligible, and his $9.3 million salary nearly lines up perfectly with the combined salary of Tucker and Cousins.
Sending Kyle Kuzma out is another option, though with the forward recently signing an extension, trading him comes with restrictions, as he’s subjected to the poison pill provision (expires this summer). Regardless of the restrictions, it just seems like the Lakers would hold onto Kuzma unless it lands them a bigger fish than the two Rockets bigs.
More NBA Trade Rumors
- The Magic have no interest in trading Nikola Vucevic, Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer hears. That report confirms a previous one by Zach Lowe, stating that Orlando is looking to head into next season with its core intact.
- Victor Oladipo could be a possibility for Boston if Danny Ainge opts to surrender some real assets for a wing, O’Connor writes in the same piece. If the Kings make Harrison Barnes available (signs point to no), he could also be an option, though The Ringer scribe envisions the Celtics settling for a lower-profile option on the trade market, naming Thaddeus Young as a potential get.
- The Blazers are not interested in listening to offers for CJ McCollum, who is still working his way back from a foot injury, per Jonathan Warner of NBC Sports Northwest. There were reports over the weekend that the Knicks were monitoring the situation among others.
