NBA Trade Rumors: The Los Angeles Lakers and Indiana Pacers are discussing a Buddy Hield trade.
The Los Angeles Lakers may have ultimately passed on a Buddy Hield trade in lieu of acquiring Russell Westbrook last offseason, but that idea hasn’t been thrown out the window completely.
As the Lakers continue to scour the trade market for a move that could raise the team’s ceiling heading into this season, a possible Hield move is reportedly back on the table. According to a report, the Lakers and Indiana Pacers are supposedly discussing a trade for Hield.
It would be wise for Los Angeles to continue to explore trades that would improve the roster. While there was hope that the team could acquire Kyrie Irving earlier this offseason, that narrative has quickly gone away and diminished.
If the Lakers are able to essentially hit the reset button in a potential Westbrook for Hield trade, it’s absolutely something that they should explore. Though, if it will end up costing the Lakers a future draft pick or an asset such as Talen Horton-Tucker, I’d have to imagine that LA would be somewhat hesitant to pull the trigger.
From all indications, the Lakers haven’t made a deal for Kyrie because they are hesitant to trade future draft picks. If Los Angeles isn’t willing to send draft picks for a player as talented as Kyrie, I’d have to imagine that they’d have some hesitance in doing so for Hield.
Unless of course, this is a bigger package that not only lands them Hield but also a player such as Myles Turner. Perhaps that’s something that the Lakers would be more interested in compared to just a 1-for-1 (+ assets) swap.
Los Angeles can’t afford to enter this season with the same roster. And right now, it’s beginning to trend that way. If they could acquire two quality contributors such as Hield and Turner, it would certainly change the outlook of the offseason for the Lakers.