Predicting Which Los Angeles Lakers Will Be Traded Before the 2015 NBA Deadline

As the Los Angeles Lakers continue their long, slow slide into basketball abyss, the players have shifted their focus from winning games to competing among themselves for a job next season.

General manager Mitch Kupchak and the Lakers brass certainly have been seeking to trade some of that talent as a way to upgrade the roster immediately or gain draft picks to build on an ever-changing foundation for the future.

The Lakers have few legitimate assets as the trade deadline looms on February 19, but they nonetheless should explore all options to move players who may bring them coveted draft picks or younger, athletic talent with potential.

Outside of the untouchables (Kobe Bryant, Julius Randle and Jordan Clarkson), no other player is a safe bet to be back with the team next season. Still, only a few may attract enough interest for someone to make a trade before this month's deadline.

In a season that has gone from bad to worse, the Lakers seem to be acknowledging their need to look to the future and basically forget about postseason action for a while.

It could easily be two to three years, maybe longer, before this franchise is able to seriously contend for a championship.

Mired at the bottom of the Western Conference's Pacific Division at 13-37, the Lakers appear to be in the market for young, athletic players. And they would make a trade to get them, if only they could find a deal worth making.

 

Jordan Hill: Interest is high, but what can the Lakers expect in return?


The most obvious player the Lakers could move before the trade deadline is center Jordan Hill, though it could be the most painful loss to swallow. The 6'10", 235-pound South Carolina native is having a career year for the Lakers during the first of his two-year, $18 million contract.

His numbers of 12.3 points, eight rebounds, 1.4 assists, one block and 28 minutes are all ...

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