Kupchak: Lakers Not Actively Seeking Trades

A recent Marc Stein report for ESPN.com suggested that the Lakers had let it be known around the NBA that Chris Duhon and Steve Blake are available. However, according to GM Mitch Kupchak, the Lakers aren't actively seeking trades at this point. Of course, as Kupchak suggests to Ben Bolch of the Los Angeles Times, that's due in part to the calendar rather than the Lakers' roster.

"This time of year, teams are not looking to make deals," Kupchak said. "They're evaluating their team and if anything they're going to cut players as they go into the season."

Could that change when regular-season rosters are set and injuries or playing-time concerns begin to accumulate?

"Some guys may not be happy if they're not playing as much as they thought they'd play or their contract's running out and they're concerned about their next contract," Kupchak said. "It's too early right now. There's a lot of energy and excitement right here. Everybody's pretty happy. So we'll just see how it plays out the next month or two."

The Lakers' backcourt is pretty crowded for now, with nine guards in camp, including four at the point: Steve Nash, Duhon, Blake, and Darius Morris. It's a near-certainty that at least one or two of those nine guards will be cut within the next couple weeks, but the four point guards all have a reasonable claim to a roster spot. Duhon and Blake also both have guaranteed money due beyond this season, making them better candidates to be traded than released.