As Gary Trent Jr. continues to search for the right free-agency landing spot, it's safe to cross off the Los Angeles Lakers as a potential suitor.
A few weeks into the official start of the NBA offseason, the Los Angeles Lakers are still a team that has made huge changes to their roster. Considering how much of a disappointment the Lakers were this past season, they were a safe bet to be aggressive in their pursuits this offseason. However, at least thus far, that doesn't seem to be the case.
And with much of the free-agent market dried up, the Lakers appear to be running out of options. One intriguing big name that surprisingly remains on the open market, Gary Trent Jr. isn't likely to be in their plans either.
According to Marc Stein, because of the Lakers' complicated salary cap situation, they're unlikely to make a run at Trent. Even though Trent appears to be a potential steal of a signing considering how much of an under-the-market deal he's likely going to ink this summer, Los Angeles doesn't appear to be in a position where they can make a real effort to sign him.
Gary Trent Jr. may not be what the Los Angeles Lakers need
At this point, the Lakers may be better off pivoting toward the trade market. If they do, there's a good chance Trent is not the type of player they're going to be targeting. With the names that have been linked to the Lakers over the past couple of months, there's a safer bet that the team may prioritize a playmaking guard over a shoot-first wing.
Even though Trent carries plenty of potential at just 25 years old, there may be other options that make much more sense for what the Lakers are trying to build around LeBron James and Anthony Davis.
While signing Trent would be a steal for the Lakers at this point in the offseason, it may not be in the cards. For a team that needs to improve their roster, that could be frustrating. You'd have to imagine that the Lakers are going to make a move at some point. The question is, when will it come and will it be as big as perhaps the fan base is expecting it to be?
Right now, that's hard to predict one way or another. But there's no way the Lakers can enter the season without making an upgrade, right?