NBA Rumors: Los Angeles Lakers Could Trade D’Angelo Russell To Utah Jazz?

The Los Angeles Lakers are entering the 2016 NBA offseason looking to make a big move or two. They know that they have to make some moves in order to get back into playoff contention in the near future. Whether they make those big moves via free agency or trades is a completely different question.

Rumors are flying around that the Lakers could end up signing Kevin Durant, DeMar DeRozan, or possibly even Al Horford in free agency. All three of those players would be upgrades, but there is another potential trade that was mentioned that would be intriguing for the Lakers to say the very least.

Dan Favale of Bleacher Report opined that the Lakers could give up point guard D’Angelo Russell and the No. 2 overall pick in the 2016 NBA Draft to the Utah Jazz in a deal that would net them both Gordon Hayward and Derrick Favors.

That trade would be an intriguing deal for both teams. Utah would be getting their point guard of the future in Russell and a potential superstar in either Ben Simmons or Brandon Ingram with the draft pick. Los Angeles, on the other hand, would be getting two proven young studs and would immediately see their stock rise in the Western Conference.

Luke Walton agreed to become the Lakers’ head coach and has made it clear that he wants to take the Lakers back to serious contention. Perhaps he would prefer to go about that process in a slower, different way, but this deal would help get them there. He could choose to build around the young talent that Russell, Jordan Clarkson, Julius Randle, and the No. 2 overall pick would give him.

It has become obvious that the Lakers have no clue whether they want to keep or trade the No. 2 overall pick.

Kupchak: "Do we keep the pick? Do we trade the pick? That's something we haven't discussed."

— Mike Bresnahan (@Mike_Bresnahan) May 18, 2016

Los Angeles should be able to net an already proven star with the No. 2 pick. Adding a small forward like Hayward would be exactly what the doctor ordered for the Lakers’ offense. Favors would add the franchise caliber big man that the Lakers have been looking for, although he has struggled with consistency at times.

Last season with the Jazz, Hayward ended up averaging 19.7 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 3.7 assists per game. He shot 43.3 percent from the field overall and knocked down 34.9 percent of his three-point attempts. Favors averaged 16.4 points, 8.1 rebounds, and 1.5 blocks per game, although there is more potential for him to work his way into.

Russell was a bit inconsistent throughout his rookie season with the Lakers. He averaged 13.2 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 3.3 assists per game, while knocking down 41.0 percent of his shots. There is still plenty of work for Russell to do, to say the least, but he should end up being a very good starting point guard.

Assuming the Jazz would get Ingram with the No. 2 overall pick, they would be getting a potential superstar. He averaged 17.3 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 1.4 blocks per game last season with the Duke Blue Devils.

Utah could choose to decline the deal if the Lakers did end up offering Russell and their pick. Trading known talent with the hope that young players will develop is dangerous. They could end up winning the deal in the long run, but that might not be worth the risk for the Jazz.

Expect to hear plenty more rumors come out about the Lakers as the offseason draws closer. They are going to continue gauging the value of their draft pick, and Russell could become available due to the off-the-court issues that he had with Nick Young as well.

Do you think the Los Angeles Lakers or Utah Jazz would pull the trigger on this deal? Which team would end up being the winner of the trade? Let us know in the comment box below!

[AP Photo/David Zalubowski]