NBA trade news: Celtics’ David Lee ideal target for Lakers

The Los Angeles Lakers are not expected to become big players in the trading season, but it does not mean the Purple and Gold will not engage in deals before the deadline.

Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak told Chris McGee of Time Warner Cable Sportsnet that there would be more activity moving forward for LA as the trade deadline nears. However, Kupchak also admitted there would be no blockbuster deals for the Lakers this season as the team is more focused on rebuilding via free agency.

"I suspect that there will be more activity moving forward," Kupchak said. "But I wouldn't suspect a blockbuster deal."

It is obvious for the Lakers to not engage in any blockbuster trade deals this season, with the team already doomed to miss the playoffs for a second straight year. However, the Lakers may still consider moving their trade assets to have a more flexible cap room to sign top-talented players this coming summer.

According to Adam Fromal of Bleacher Report, one of the ideal targets for the Lakers is Boston Celtics forward David Lee, who finds himself in another limited role. Fromal cited another Bleacher Report columnist David Murphy, noting that the Lakers could evaluate if Lee would fit in LA or not re-sign the one-time NBA champ if the experiment fails, which, in turn, would give them more cap room to pursue other star free agents.

“Lee might not seem like an "ideal" acquisition at this stage of his career, but the Lakers' situation is important,” Fromal wrote. “Taking a major step forward during the current campaign is anything but ideal, especially given the possibility of losing a first-round draft pick if the team isn't selecting within the first three choices on June 23.”

In Murphy’s trade scenario, the Lakers would get Lee by giving up Roy Hibbert, who is reportedly looking for a playoff team he could join before the deadline, according to Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders. Hibbert is also playing the final year of his contract, which means it would not hurt the Celtics to acquire him if it means sending away Lee’s $15.4 million contract.

A straight swap of Hibbert for Lee could work based on ESPN’s trade machine, although the Lakers, who are looking to dump Nick Young and Brandon Bass, could also be in the mix in case a deal materialises.

However, Jeff Clark of Celtics Blog does not think Boston’s general manager Danny Ainge would trade Lee just for the sake of making a deal before the deadline. Clark predicted Lee could actually stay in the Celtics’ roster past the trade deadline and may just request a buy-out to play for another team, where the former Warrior could raise his value for the coming free agency.

There aren’t any trade deals yet in the NBA, but expect deals to go down once a team starts to make a move. As for the Lakers, any trade deal would be for the sole purpose of getting the pieces ready for their rebuilding process.