Lakers Trade Rumors: Examining Top Buzz After NBA All-Star Weekend 2016

Only in the NBA could an 11-win team dominate the headlines ahead of a trade deadline.

But these are the Los Angeles Lakers, 11-44 through the All-Star break. This team is not only the Lakers, but it features Kobe Bryant's retirement tour, an interesting young core and a coach in Byron Scott who may or may not stick around for next year.

Speaking of next year, these Lakers are one of the hottest commodities on the trade market right now not because of any incredible impending blockbuster deals but because even the smallest of moves could help the team inch toward freeing up room for Kevin Durant or another superstar next summer.

So while the rumblings around the franchise seem timid for the Lakers, keep in mind while perusing the following that general manager Mitch Kupchak and the front office have a step-by-step approach to the league's most notable rebuild.

 

Brandon Bass' Contract



The signing of Brandon Bass was one of the conflicting signals the Lakers sent to fans and the league before the season.

Bringing on Bass made sense if the Lakers thought they were going to compete for the postseason, but this year always seemed like a rebuilding one in which young guys would soak up minutes for experience. The 30-year-old Bass got in the way of Larry Nance Jr. and Julius Randle.

Now the Lakers anxiously await Bass' decision on his player option.

Basketball Insiders' Steve Kyler broke down the situation:

League sources peg Bass the same way they do Martin. If he’d opt-in to his deal, he’d have more value and be easier to move as $3.1 million is a pretty favorable cap number next season – especially for a playoff team looking to bolster its bench with a proven veteran NBA big man. It’s the uncertainty of the option that alters the math, and like Martin there is a different set of suitors for the endi...

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