The Los Angeles Lakers have reportedly “made calls” to the New Orleans Pelicans about the possibility of trading for All-Defensive wing Herb Jones.
During his appearance on “The Kevin O’Connor Show” on Sunday, NBA insider Chris Haynes revealed that the Lakers have reached out to the Pelicans — who own the second-worst record in the league — about the possibility of landing Jones.
The Lakers — who rank 20th in defensive efficiency — can’t be blamed for targeting Jones, one of the NBA’s best perimeter defenders. It’s been widely acknowledged that JJ Redick’s team needs a defensive upgrade on the wings to cover for the deficiencies of Austin Reaves, Luka Doncic and LeBron James, all of whom are subpar defenders.
Herb Jones to Lakers Buzz
According to The Athletic’s Dan Woike, Jones has emerged as the player “most often linked” to Los Angeles by scouts around the league. However, Woike reported that the Pelicans are “not interested” in moving Jones, given that the Lakers can offer only one first-round pick along with the expiring contract of Rui Hachimura or Gabe Vincent.
“While Lakers fans can fantasize about some all-out liquidation of the Pelicans’ roster, team and league sources tell The Athletic that New Orleans is not interested in moving Jones,” Woike reported on Dec. 11.
“And considering what LA would have to offer in a deal, expiring contracts and a single first-round pick, the Pelicans almost certainly wouldn’t engage at that price point.”
Woike acknowledged that the Pelicans’ view of a potential Lakers trade package for Jones “could change” from now until the Feb. 5 deadline, but New Orleans would “need a whole lot” to be convinced otherwise, spelling bad news for the Lakers.
Lakers Trade Targets
NBA insider Marc Stein has also reported that the Pelicans have set a very high asking price for Herb Jones and are unlikely to move him to the Lakers.
“We mentioned the other day that the Pelicans would insist on a significant haul to part with Herb Jones. It’s a price point is presumed to be beyond the Lakers’ current trade means,” Stein wrote in his latest substack on Dec. 14.
Besides Jones, the Lakers have been linked to the likes of Andrew Wiggins, Keon Ellis and Daniel Gafford as potential targets ahead of the Feb. 5 trade deadline.
One issue the Lakers could run into is their inability to put together a compelling trade package. Per The Athletic, teams around the league don’t value the Lakers’ only tradeable first-round pick (2031 or 2032) and aren’t all that keen to take on the expiring deals of Hachimura or Vincent in any deals.
“According to league sources, that future Lakers pick, which could be in 2031 or 2032, is less valuable than it was viewed both before the Luka Dončić trade and since Mark Walter’s acquisition of the franchise,” Dan Woike reported on Dec. 11.
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