Lakers Trade Rumors: Buzz Surrounding Jeremy Lin, Taj Gibson and More

At this point in the season, there's nothing more for the Los Angeles Lakers to do but to lose, lose and lose some more. 

Just 3-16 since the calendar turned to 2015, the Lakers are destined for the lottery in the 2015 NBA draft. Of course, their first-round selection will be given to the Phoenix Suns if it falls out of the top five picks. That gives the team a little extra incentive to tank now and beef up its chances of keeping that pick. It would be the first time the Lakers had first-round picks in consecutive years since the 2002 and 2003 drafts.

It's time for general manager Mitch Kupchak to completely prepare for the future to the best of his ability. That means trading some assets away in a week's time at the NBA trade deadline. While this Lakers team clearly lacks supreme talent, there are a handful of players who could entice opposing GMs.



Without Kobe Bryant for the rest of the season, now is the perfect time to begin a mini rebuild. Below, you'll find the most recent team rumors.

 

Jeremy Lin



Jeremy Lin has been just so-so this season, though nothing more should have been expected of the 26-year-old point guard. He's a borderline NBA starter at the position given his inconsistencies on offense and struggles on defense.

His energy and hustle make him an ideal point guard off the bench, however, and the Lakers could potentially sell him as such in the next week. Sean Deveney of the Sporting News agrees.

"He [Lin] would make a good backup point guard," Deveney writes, "and the Lakers would move him if they could get an asset in return, but the market for Lin has been weak."

It's not surprising to hear that interest is weak in Lin, who has had a bad season to this point. Playing in a career-low 25.7 minutes per game (excluding his rookie campaign), Lin has averaged just 10.4 points and 4.7 rebounds. He's also converti...

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