The Lakers were open to dealing point guard Dennis Schröder and longtime wing Kentavious Caldwell-Pope for veteran Raptors guard Kyle Lowry ahead of today’s trade deadline, but were resistant to including ascendant shooting guard Talen Horton-Tucker in a deal, according to Jovan Buha and Bill Oram of The Athletic.
Buha and Oram note that Schroder, KCP, and “some draft compensation” were being discussed in exchange for the six-time Toronto All-Star. Los Angeles team president Rob Pelinka apparently balked at including Horton-Tucker, a promising 20-year-old second-year combo guard.
The Lakers continue to negotiate a possible long-term contract extension with starting point guard Schröder, currently earning $15.5MM in the last season of an expiring four-year deal, but remain far apart in those talks. The 27-year-old veteran is hoping to net at least $20MM annually, according to Buha and Oram, who note that this price tag contributed to the front office being open to moving Schröder in a deal for Lowry.
The Lakers’ willingness to trade valuable two-way swingman Caldwell-Pope appear to be about prioritizing re-signing Horton-Tucker and point guard Alex Caruso during the 2021 offseason. A league source tells Buha and Oram that both players could garner deals worth the full mid-level exception, which projects to be worth more than $9.5MM next season.
With Schröder now sticking with LA through the trade deadline, sources tell Buha and Oram that the club hopes to re-sign the point guard this summer, too.
The Lakers currently still have two open roster spots, and are going to use the buyout market to acquire new additions heading into the home stretch of the season. Los Angeles appears to be one of the top finalists in the race to acquire 27-year-old Cavaliers center Andre Drummond, a two-time All-Star, once he finalizes his expected buyout with Cleveland. In addition to a veteran center, Buha and Oram anticipate that the Lakers will seek a defensive-oriented free agent swingman for their other available roster position.
In other Lakers news, starting center Marc Gasol will be back on the court for the injury-depleted club tonight against the Sixers, Brad Turner of the Los Angeles Times tweets. The veteran big man will only be allowed to play about 15 minutes tonight during his first game action this month, after being placed in the NBA’s coronavirus-related health and safety protocols.
Lakers will do ok in the BO market.
Just bench players in BO market.
Not Andre dude would start right away and buy market still young more players can be buy out in the up coming days
Right, we hear this every year around this time about which player in the buyout market will help out one of the contenders and almost all of them barely even move the needle. No one signed by the Lakers is going to help them as long as both LBJ and AD are out.
Someone can help them don’t be dense. Both stars may return. I assume you can figure that nobody hopes to find a Lebron in the buyout market, but who knows with you.
So the Lakers offered an expiring contract and a role shooter for Lowry? And balked at giving up value…smh, if they didn’t want Lowry why even talk about it
So if your Schroeder do you resign with the team who wanted to trade you. And if your Pope is it business as usual. Interesting to watch team chemistry now.
Feel like we’ve seen this before. I’m sure they’ll be ok
If I’m Schroeder? It’s simple. I sign for whoever offers me the most money. If that’s the Lakers, I sign it and keep making that $$$. Cant fault Lakers for halfa55 trying to upgrade.
They’re professional athletes making tens of millions of $$. Having their feelings hurt is something they got past once that first bi-weekly check hit their bank account as rookies… And it’s not like the Lakers wanted to send them to play in Russia; the NBA’s a league of what, 350-500 players? They ALL know the drill and ALL can hoop regardless of anything going on around them. With that said, that’s when great coaching/management come in. Vogel, J. Kidd, Pelinka, & Jeanie all know what they’re doing as well… That’s without even mentioning the leadership of LeBron, AD, Gasol, Wes Matthews, etc. — players, teammates, friends they can lean on if they’ve got any questions or concerns.
If they’re smart they will go elsewhere. Lakers are done.
I hear ya, but if the numbers are secured around 16 per …I don’t see a team getting froggy and jumping into the 20’s per year on him
Never really got to see how he played with Lakers at their best tho so its tough to make a call either way …AD was in 3rd gear all year be4 inj …… maybe we see it come May/June but I think the Lakers certainly do have a bit of reservations in their own think tank on him as well today
He’s got a pretty kushy landing spot, I dont think he ruffles feathers seeing as the moneys probably the same
schroeder as 3rd/4th option’s value is almost the same as lowry who was a 1st option in toronto.. i don’t know why the lakers would want this trade.
i mean if schroeder was not playing along side lebron & AD, his numbers would almost be the same as lowry..
Lakers won’t be able to afford THT next year so I’m confused why he was the deal breaker.
THT is legit, but he’s not getting some wild money as a 20/21 year old coming off a 20 minute a game season. Any player of his level (contract-wise) is affordable, especially when you have a GM like Pelinka, who knows the ins & outs of the salary cap better than anyone… He’ll be a Laker next season.
Lakers have a lot of options next year –
Draft day they can trade 2 firsts ( 21 should be in the teens too) and 27 is so far out it could hold good value to the right type of team –
They have KCP’s (semi) expiring (12.3 mill)
Possibly Harrells nice expiring (10 mill)
Kuzma value contract of 2/26 w 3rd yr player option
They are in good position to pull a string while still securing THT and Caruso via Bird rights if ownership goes a little deep into the tax (I think they will for LBJ) My bet would be they make a major move consolidating 2 or 3 of those names I listed above w a 1st or 2 , even if its just for a guy only under contract for 1 year
As far as money concernsu, that will come into effect with not being able to go over the vet min for 5-7 guys…they need to atack talent next year over chemistry guys like Dudley/Cook , I think they learned that lesson this year tho
Lakers were likely more than willing, more like anxious, to trade KCP. No way that contract has positive value. Lakers’ assessment of THT is what it is, and who knows if Raps would have agreed to deal Lowry with him in the deal. But if it was just those 3 guys and 2nd round picks, I’d have made the deal. DS is a gamer, but Lowry has the gravitas to run the offense, and take the biggest shots, even with LBJ and AD on the floor. Only a handful of those guys around.
Tht was the hold up…… I dont even think Tht would have been a good fit with FVF and Siakiam, all occupy the same space really and there’s not enough shooting in that trio to not run into problems in modern day NBA –
I like THT, but I dont think Tor was a good fit …..he will be in La next year
I agree on the latter. Raps, I think, were just trying to get a future asset in a seller’s market, and figured they’d work on the mix later.