On December 31, Beijing time, ESPN reported that the Lakers and Cavaliers were close to reaching a deal, and they would send away the former champion Rondo. Sending Rondo away is likely just a prelude to the Lakers' trade this season. The Athletic expert John Hollinger revealed the Lakers' trading needs and listed three potential targets.
Hollinger said in the latest report that the Lakers' trade needs are to bring in some guards who can play without the ball, and he mentioned the names of three players as potential trading targets for the Lakers. The three players are Norman Powell of the Blazers, Derrick White of the Spurs and Bogdan Bogdanovic of the Hawks.
Hollinger pointed out that which of these three players will help the Lakers because they can open up offensive space to varying degrees, and most importantly, they don't need too much ball. For the Lakers' system, this type of player has tremendous value. Because they can play better around James.
Hollinger said the Lakers don't have many trading chips, and the most likely to send out are Horton Tucker, Nunn and the 2027 first-round pick, and the three chips combined can be exchanged for a player with an annual salary of between $15 million and $20 million. So far this season, Powell has averaged 18.4 points, 2.7 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game, shooting 40.5 percent from three-point range; White averaging 14.3 points, 3.6 rebounds, 5.3 assists and shooting 42.3 percent from the field; and Bogdanovic averaging 11.7 points, 3.6 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game, shooting 36.2 percent from three-point range.
Hollinger specifically mentioned the Hawks' Bogdanovic. He wrote: "After suffering eight consecutive home defeats, will the Hawks consider trading Bogdanovic? He's struggled a bit this year, and next season his salary is $18 million. At that time, the Eagles will trigger a luxury tax, and they will not lack young wings. The Lakers may be able to convince the Hawks to trade, and Hollinger believes that Bogdanovic is a near-perfect no-ball sniper with a higher overall ability than the Lakers' current squad of Ellington and Munch.