After the Los Angeles Lakers refused to make a deal with the Boston Celtics for Rajon Rondo, it is uncertain whether or not the storied NBA franchise is ready to trade Pau Gasol for anything less than a superstar. The deal for Rondo would’ve addressed the team’s biggest weakness in the backcourt, but for some reason Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak didn’t pull the trigger with the trade falling apart due to the Lakers unwilling to give up Gasol.
Now it seems as though it is back to the drawing board for Kupchak and company with the Lakers’ front office continuing to work the phones in the next few days before the NBA trade deadline on March 15. One intriguing option that has just come to light is a potential blockbuster trade with the Milwaukee Bucks.
According to Sam Amick of SI.com, point guard Brandon Jennings is available:
Sources said Milwaukee has made third-year point guard Brandon Jennings available “for the right price,” as one executive who has spoken to the Bucks put it. Jennings, who was drafted 10th overall in 2009 and has been considered the team’s future franchise player, irked Bucks officials with his comments to ESPN.com in early February about a possible departure.
“I’m going to keep my options open, knowing that the time is coming up,” he wrote in an e-mail to the Web site. “I’m doing my homework on big-market teams.”
Obviously, the Lakers aren’t going to do a trade straight up for Brandon Jennings with Pau Gasol heading to the Bucks. The value isn’t there and the contracts will not come close to matching up. The Bucks have also put Andrew Bogut and Stephen Jackson on the trading block which could setup of potential deal with the Lakers that might make the numbers match.
There is a good chance that the Lakers would be interested in acquiring Brandon Jennings before the deadline as he fits a need in the backcourt. It is doubtful the Lakeshow would be willing to take on an injury prone Andrew Bogut and an increasing difficult player to coach in Stephen Jackson.
So even though it would be a longshot for the Lakers to take a chance on acquiring Bogut and Jackson with Jennings (and they shouldn’t), Los Angeles might be able to work a deal to get their hands on the up-and-coming point guard. Not only would Jennings help cure the point guard woes in L.A., but he is also a hometown boy and would most likely not be opposed to a deal sending him home to play alongside Kobe Bryant.
This season Brandon Jennings is averaging 18.7 points, 5.6 assists and 1.5 steals per game.
