The Los Angeles Lakers have established themselves as one of the few legitimate 2020 NBA Finals contenders after putting up an impressive 24-5 record during the 2019-20 NBA season.
Anthony Davis has seamlessly fit next to LeBron James and the rest of the roster is meshing well, troubling signs for the rest of the league.
The Lakers are one of the best two-way teams in the league as they have been able to overwhelm opponents on either end, yet they still have room for improvement.
While it is unlikely they make a trade to address the roster during the 2019-20 NBA trade deadline, they could look to work the margins of the team through the buyout market. The most popular name linked to the Lakers is Andre Iguodala as his combination of playmaking and defense would fit perfectly next to Davis and James.
However, it is looking like Los Angeles will need to make a deal with the Memphis Grizzlies if they really want him, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN:
“Memphis has been just absolute, resolute in their belief that they are going to find a trade for Andre Iguodala before the Feb. 6 trade deadline. So if you want him — the Lakers, the Clippers — you have to trade for him cause we’re going to find a team to send him to and so you better figure out a pathway to do a deal with us.
That for either of those two L.A. teams, they are hoping for a buyout and it will be interesting. But, great confidence in Memphis that they could find now a 35-years-old, $17 million dollar expiring contract, hard to stack up deals that make sense for Memphis to take back where they’re getting something out of it.”
Iguodala has yet to step foot on the court during the season as the Grizzlies look to trade him for any value they can get. So far, teams have reportedly been reluctant to give up any real assets for him as he only has one year left on his deal and is rumored to only be interested in playing for a contender.
Trading for Iguodala is nearly impossible for the Lakers as they do not have the requisite contracts or assets necessary to pry him away from Memphis. Any potential deals would likely need to involve a third team but even then, that seems like a stretch given what players and draft compensation would be needed to make a trade feasible for all sides.
While Iguodala could be the swing piece for the purple and gold in their championship chase, they are still best served waiting out the situation and hoping him and Grizzlies reach an agreement on a buyout.