Recent NBA trade rumors indicate that the Los Angeles Lakers could move Corey Brewer, Tyler Ennis, and a future second-round pick to the Atlanta Hawks in exchange for sweet-shooting wing man Marco Belinelli.
The Lakers are now 11th in the Western Conference with a 10-18 record, three-and-a-half games below the last playoff spot currently held by the New Orleans Pelicans. The team has lost three straight games and eight of their last 10 assignments, although some were close games.
While their growing pains are evident to the untrained eye, team president Magic Johnson sees a lot of promise for his young squad. Some basketball analysts believe that the club is only one trade away from making a run towards their first postseason appearance in five years. Thus, Magic and company are expected to make some noise in the ongoing trade season soon.
One of the latest trade rumors surrounding the club is a potential deal with the Hawks that would get them three-point shooting artist Marco Belinelli.
The Lakers have struggled shooting the ball from beyond the arc this season, sinking only 32.3 percent of their shots from the rainbow line, which is the lowest in the league. Only super-rookie Kyle Kuzma, starting shooting guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, and Sixth Man contender Jordan Clarkson are shooting above 35 percent from the distance, per ESPN .
At 31-years-old, Belinelli may seem a mismatch to the young guns of Los Angeles. However, his veteran savvy and reliable outside shooting would be “the type of shooting the Lakers are desperately missing on the wings ,” according to SB Nations’ Silver Screen & Roll .
Belinelli’s affordable $6.6 million wage is also a plus factor for the Lakers. He also becomes an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season, which means the team could choose not to re-sign him to create that extra cap space for big-name free agent signings.
Meanwhile, the Hawks are also in rebuilding mode and are said to be highly likely to trade some of their veteran players for future assets. Atlanta is in the cellar of the league right now with a 7-23 record, and any offers that would get them a young player and a future pick would be welcome for the club, the report added.
