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An NBA insider has explained why the LA Lakers have been unsuccessful in landing Detroit Pistons' sharpshooter Bojan Bogdanovic thus far.
In other news, Lakers star forward LeBron James reportedly has no plans to leave LA.
On that note, here are the latest rumors surrounding the LA Lakers as of Jan. 10, 2023.
NBA Insider reveals why the LA Lakers haven't traded for Bojan Bogdanovic
Bojan Bogdanovic has long been an LA Lakers trade target. The Lakers have shown interest in him since before he was traded to Detroit prior to this season. With the Pistons now sitting at just 11-32 and 15th in the Eastern Conference, the 33-year-old has been made available again.
However, the Lakers’ refusal to trade their 2027 or 2029 first-round picks has prevented them from being able to acquire the sharpshooter so far. This comes via NBA insider Marc Stein, who outlined the Lakers’ mindset in regard to a Bogdanovic trade.
"There has been little — yet — to indicate that the Lakers’ approach will change,” Stein said.
"They decided that trading one of those picks (2027 and 2029 first-round picks) with no draft protections attached (along with the expiring contracts of Patrick Beverley and Kendrick Nunn) was too high a price for Detroit’s Bojan Bogdanovic,” Stein continued.
Stein then outlined the case for the Lakers still trading for Bogdanovic given their recent success. LA recently won five straight games before falling to Denver on Monday night. They now sit at 19-22 and 12th in the Western Conference. However, they are just one game behind the eighth seed and three games behind the fifth seed in the West.
“A case can be made that the Lakers should take the one-pick plunge for a better-than-ever Bogdanovic — maybe even if the Pistons refuse to lower their price — given the promising form they’ve displayed in 2023 without the injured Anthony Davis to work their way back into the West’s play-in mix,” Stein said.
“The question, however, remains: How much would Bogdanovic, as well as he’s playing, really raise this team’s ceiling?" Stein continued.
Bogdanovic is averaging a career-best 21.0 points to go along with 3.6 rebounds, 2.7 assists, and 2.4 3-pointers per game. He also has a highly efficient 48.4/41.6/89.4 shooting split.
Even at 33, Bogdanovic remains an intriguing trade candidate for contenders. However, it remains to be seen if the LA Lakers will enter back into the Bogdanovic sweepstakes.
No indication LeBron James wants to leave LA Lakers
Recently, there has been speculation that LeBron James may request a trade out of LA to be able to end his career as a contender. This speculation only increased after James’ interview with Sam Amick of The Athletic on Saturday, where he seemingly called out LA for not making any trades.
"Y'all know what the f--k should be happening. I don't need to talk," James said.
James later clarified his comments on Twitter, saying he isn’t losing patience with the Lakers and is focused on winning games.
“Hey Sam actually my patience isn’t waning. You make it sound like I’m frustrated when I’m really not. I told you over and over, my job is focused on the guys in the locker room, my job isn’t the roster. That’s the reality of that conversation,” James responded.
Despite LeBron James denying the rumors, some have doubted James’ true intentions behind doing the interview in the first place. However, ESPN’s Brian Windhorst believes James really does plan to stay in LA and that he is likely just trying to make the Lakers uncomfortable.
"The contract extension that he did last year... that was the actions of somebody who has no intention of leaving the Lakers," Windhorst said on “The Hoop Collective” podcast.
"So, really, his weapon is to make the Lakers uncomfortable. It's not a threat he's going to walk on them. I think the Lakers are fully aware of that,” Windhorst continued.
So as of now, it looks like LeBron James isn’t going anywhere anytime soon.
Also read: Skip Bayless calls out LeBron James for load management while praising Michael Jordan's durability
Longtime LA Lakers trade target likely to be moved ahead of trade deadline
The LA Lakers have long been interested in Indiana Pacers stretch-five Myles Turner and reportedly came close to acquiring him earlier this season. However, Indiana has since become one of the surprise teams in the NBA at 23-18 and sixth in the Eastern Conference.
Meanwhile, Turner has been having arguably a career year. This led Indiana to start contract extension negotiations with Turner, who is in the final year of his deal, making $18 million this season. According to NBA insider Marc Stein, Turner has since turned down the Pacers’ offer, leading to more speculation that the big man could be moved.
Matt Moore of The Action Network has now reported that Indiana plans to trade Turner if they cannot agree to an extension by the end of this week.
“Multiple sources indicated this week that if a deal isn’t reached, it would finally prompt the Pacers to move on and deal Turner,” Moore said.
Turner is averaging a career-best 17.0 points to go along with 7.9 rebounds and 2.3 blocks per game on 55.2% shooting. He is also still just 26 years old.
The Pacers should have no problem moving the big man if they opt to go that route. If they do, it remains to be seen if the LA Lakers will reemerge as trade suitors.
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