The Los Angeles Lakers are working hard to improve their roster ahead of the upcoming NBA trade deadline.
According to Chris Haynes of Yahoo! Sports, the Lakers are still eyeing Buddy Hield of the Sacramento Kings and have offered a Talen Horton-Tucker package in exchange for the sharpshooter.
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“League sources have told me the Lakers reached out to the Kings about a Talen Horton-Tucker package for Buddy Hield,” Haynes said during a podcast. “Still trying to make that happen. Obviously, the Kings are like, ‘No. We feel like there’s more lucrative deals out there.’ The Kings are going to be active. They’ve got a whole bunch of people calling them.”
The Lakers’ conversations with the Kings surrounding Hield aren’t new. As a matter of fact, the Lakers were very close to acquiring Hield during the most recent offseason.
Following the Lakers’ defeat against the Phoenix Suns in the first round of the 2021 playoffs, the team went on a mission to revamp its roster. While Hield was on the Lakers’ radar, the team ultimately decided to add superstar Russell Westbrook instead.
Players involved in the Kings-Lakers discussions were reportedly “blindsided” when the Hield trade fell through.
Westbrook, 33, hasn’t exactly been a great fit with the Lakers.
In fact, the experiment to put the former MVP alongside superstars LeBron James and Anthony Davis has gone terribly. The Lakers are struggling to stay in the playoff race. They hold an abysmal 24-25 record and are the No. 9 seed in the Western Conference.
As a result, the team is trying to bolster its supporting cast for the remaining portion of the season.
Hield is putting up 14.9 points, 4.0 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game this season. By his standards, he has struggled from beyond the arc, as he’s shooting a career-worst 37.6 percent on triples.
As for Horton-Tucker, the youngster is collecting 10.0 points and 3.3 boards per game this season. He hasn’t exactly hit the Lakers’ lofty expectations for him, but he is considered one of their primary young pieces for the future.
