NBA Rumors: LA Lakers Could Trade Michael Beasley, Isaac Bonga, And Draft Pick For Wayne Ellington, Per ‘ESPN’
After a poor start, the Los Angeles Lakers are finally playing like a legitimate playoff contender in the 2018-19 NBA season. However, Lakers President of Basketball Operations Magic Johnson and General Manager Rob Pelinka continue to find ways to address some of the issues on their roster. As of now, the Lakers are eyeing to acquire a player who could boost their defense and three-point shooting.
They tried to acquire Trevor Ariza from the Suns, but talks between the two teams fractured after Phoenix asked for one of the Lakers’ young core. With their inability to extract the likes of Lonzo Ball, Josh Hart, Kyle Kuzma, and Brandon Ingram, Suns owner Robert Sarver no longer wanted to make a deal with the Lakers centered on Ariza, according to a Twitter post by David Aldridge of the Athletic. However, Ariza is not the only player the Lakers are targeting on the trade market as according to Sean Deveney of Sporting News, they are also keeping an eye on Wayne Ellington of the Miami Heat.
The Ellington-to-Lakers trade scenario is one of the 10 big deals NBA insiders from ESPN would want to see before the February NBA trade deadline. To acquire Ellington from the Heat, ESPN suggested that the Lakers could offer a trade package including Micheal Beasley, Isaac Bonga, and a future second-round pick. The proposed trade deal works on ESPN‘s NBA Trade Machine.
“This isn’t the kind of trade that leads SportsCenter, but it’s a secondary move that could give Los Angeles some much-needed shooting,” ESPN‘s Ian Begley said.
“This deal probably happens only if Miami decides to depart from its win-now approach and rebuild the roster (something many in the NBA doubt will happen this season under Pat Riley). The Lakers would likely have to add a second-round pick and a young player such as Bonga to get Miami to consider moving the 31-year-old Ellington, who is shooting 37.4 percent from 3 on 7.2 attempts per game.”
The Lakers reportedly have trade interest in Wayne Ellington and Terrence Ross. https://t.co/GMP0OV4rkR pic.twitter.com/eILPanyQuh
— Silver Screen and Roll (@LakersSBN) December 13, 2018
Wayne Ellington will be a good addition to the Lakers, giving them a capable defender who can also be a huge threat from beyond the arc. This season, the 31-year-old shooting guard is averaging 9.2 points and 1.2 steals on 36.2 percent shooting from the field and 37.1 percent shooting from beyond the arc. Ellington’s contract is set to expire after the 2018-19 NBA season so the deal won’t affect the Lakers salary cap flexibility in the summer of 2019 where they are expected to chase the likes of Kevin Durant Kawhi Leonard, Kyrie Irving, Klay Thompson, Kemba Walker, Jimmy Butler, DeAndre Jordan, and DeMarcus Cousins in the free agency market.
