Lakers Inching Towards Massive NBA Trade With Magic

The Los Angeles Lakers came into the offseason with an eye towards acquiring a big-name superstar.

Klay Thompson. Dejounte Murray. DeMar DeRozan. All three guys were at one point linked to L.A. – only to then end up somewhere else.

Currently the Lakers are being connected to a blockbuster three-team Zach LaVine trade and a huge 5-team swap, but in addition to those, another potentially massive move hovers in the background.

According to Sean Deveney of Heavy, L.A. is being closely linked to Wendell Carter Jr. of the Orlando Magic.

“Fairly young, probably a little undervalued because of his red flags (injuries) and still tapping into his skillset,” an NBA executive told Deveney. “The contract is right, it makes sense for them. That’s a guy they’re monitoring, but a lot of teams are.”

Carter is a former lottery pick who has been something of a mixed bag as a pro. Sometimes he really shines, but other times he struggles to be impactful.

Last season he averaged 11.0 points and 6.9 rebounds per Game while shooting nearly 38 percent from beyond the arc. The Lakers have been looking for a center to pair up with Anthony Davis – and Carter could be that.

As things presently stand, Carter has two years and $22 million million remaining on his contract. He and D’Angelo Russell could easily be swapped for another with minimal other pieces being included.

Will the Lakers and Magic ultimately be able to make this trade work? Time will tell.

Anthony Amador

A graduate from the University of Texas, Anthony Amador has been credentialed to cover the Houston Texans, Dallas Cowboys, San Antonio Spurs, Dallas Mavericks and high school Games all over the Lone Star State. Currently, his primary beats are the NBA, MLB, NFL and UFC.