If recent reports in the rumor mill are to be believed, the Los Angeles Lakers may be willing to give up one of their point guards and draft picks for future seasons to acquire a center who may prove to be a complimentary addition to their current roster.
In a new report, NBA insider Michael Scotto revealed discussions with NBA executives, and part of those talks touched on the Los Angeles Lakers and their keen eye on acquiring Washington Wizards center Jonas Valanciunas. The Lakers reportedly would be willing to go to lengths just to sign the Wizards veteran, including putting point guard Gabe Vincent up for trade.
“Vincent has been a disappointment for the Lakers since signing a three-year, $33 million deal due to injuries and inefficient shooting,” Scotto wrote. “Los Angeles will look to include him as a salary filler with draft pick compensation in trade talks. Keep an eye on Los Angeles potentially dangling Vincent and future second-round picks to try and land Wizards center Jonas Valanciunas, a coveted Lakers target.”
Should Valanciunas be acquired, he could be a center that could help improve the defense around Anthony Davis, giving the latter more opportunities to make points for the team.
Los Angeles Lakers Coach JJ Redick on Team’s Defense: “We All Want The Same Outcome”
If there is one thing that the Los Angeles Lakers do not lack on is a good offense. They have the legendary LeBron James, who still plays impressively considering his tenure and age, a strong point-maker in Anthony Davis, and an excellent rookie in Dalton Knecht. However, there is one area that even team head coach JJ Redick admits they have to work on: defense.
“Some of coaching is playing whack a mole,” Redick said, following their loss to the Denver Nuggets. “You have to address weaknesses. Certainly did some of that stuff yesterday in film and on the court and felt pretty good about our overall process and game plan coming into tonight. And all of us just, we didn’t execute it.”
While the coach admitted that it is easy to point fingers and blame people, including himself, as the cause of the defense problem, he prefers to look at it as a problem that requires a team effort.
“It’s all of us, like we’re we’re all on the same team,” the Los Angeles Lakers coach added. “We all want the same outcome. We all want to be a good defensive team. So we’ve got to figure out that together.”
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