Unraveling the Lakers trade deadline dilemmas: Who might be coming to L.A.?

New York Knicks forward Cam Reddish could be a potential trade-deadline target for the Lakers.

(David Zalubowski / Associated Press)

Welcome back to the latest edition of theLakers newsletter, where Ill do my best to navigate you through what the Lakers front office might be thinking as the trade deadline starts to creep up. Its a complicated situation thats constantly changing.

Theres a bit of healthy impatience in certain corners of theLakers locker room as the team moved past the halfway point of the season without making any notable roster moves.

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Despite a recent five-game winning streak andFridays win against Memphis, the Lakers are 21-25 and, for now, on the fringe of the postseason race.

In defense of the front office, the asking prices, leaguewide, have been viewed as unreasonably high perhaps because of the haul Utah got for All-Star centerRudy Gobertin the offseason. And the list of teams viewed as sellers is dwarfed by potential buyers with veteran-led teams like the Lakers,Clippers, Phoenix Suns and Golden State Warriors all more or less in the play-in race and not the playoff race as January enters its final weeks.

All of this is to say that the options, at least as of today, either arent great or are expensive.

Its why theres healthy pessimism among a mixture of scouts, executives and agents that a significant deal can be brokered.

There continue to be signals that the Lakers wont trade both of the first-round picks available to them at this point, kind of a common sense revelation unless some All-NBA-type player suddenly becomes available.

One deal that could be available would be for former lottery pickCam Reddish, who has been completely out of the New York Knicks rotation for nearly two months. The Knicks initially hoped to recoup the first-round pick they sent to Atlanta in trading for him, but now league insiders believe a second-round pick and an expiring contract would get a deal done.

The Lakers have two contracts that would allow that trade to work Lonnie Walker IVandKendrick Nunn.

Walker, despite some inconsistency, is a better scorer and shooter than Reddish and just one year older. Hes rehabbing from knee tendinitis and should be returning soon.

Nunn would be the more logical choice in a deal, but after missing all of last season and struggling through the first chunk of this one, hes found his stride in January, hes averaging 11 points on 48.8% shooting and hitting 37.5% from three.

In the teams heartbreaking losses to Dallas, Philadelphia and Sacramento last week, Nunn was a combined plus-32. Against Memphis, Nunn was plus-3 as he scored 11 points.

Reddish has better size and fits a real need on the wing, but theres not a consensus internally that hed be an upgrade.

Theres also another reason not to make the deal, and for the Lakers, it might be the more powerful argument. If the Lakers trade Nunn for Reddish, they cant trade Nunn in a package for someone who would be way more likely to make the Lakers more of a threat.

Its the biggest issue the team is facing, the Lakers decision makers wrestling with If we do this, then we cant do that later thinking.

The team has signaled its preference to not take on another long-term contract. The Lakers project to have $30 million or so in salary-cap space this summer not enough to fund a maximum contract, but enough to put them in the conversation for some of the top potential free agents like Kyrie Irving, James Harden and Draymond Green.

But the Lakers have come out of free agency empty-handed before. And league scouts and executives dont view the free-agency pool as particularly deep, meaning teams could look to do their spending now on the trade market.

Its why some people still viewDetroits Bojan Bogdanovicas the ideal target for the Lakers.

Detroit Pistons forward Bojan Bogdanovic directs a teammate during a game against the Orlando Magic on Dec. 28.

(Duane Burleson / Associated Press)

The cost is steep sources in both conferences say the Pistons have been looking for a good first-round draft pick and a young player in a trade. But Bogdanovic is a dead-eye three-point shooter and scorer at 6 feet 7. Hes averaging a career-best 21.3 points and the Pistons clearly value him.

While Bogdanovic is under contract for two more years and would cut significantly into the Lakers cap space, the team likely would have plenty of suitors should they need to deal him to clear room should one of the top superstars want to play for the Lakers and sign this summer.

Its an option the Lakers would have with a player currently under contract and one that would be more complicated if the team dealt for a player on an expiring a contract because of salary-cap holds and their impact on the Lakers ability to go over the cap to re-sign their own free agents.

Still, there will be competition for Bogdanovic there isnt a team in the league thats not looking for a wing who hits 40% of his threes at a high volume. And the Lakers have been hesitant to make a move until they get clarity on Anthony Davis return from injury and that should be coming this week.

The decisions are complicated, the potential ripples impacting the decisions to follow. Its why theyre moving so cautiously.

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Shannon Sharpe walks away from the court after getting into a verbal altercation with Memphis star Ja Morant and others during Fridays game at Arena.

Fridays win over Memphiswas a wild one, Dennis Schroders last-second steal and layup and Grizzlies forward Brandon Clarkes missed free throw giving the Lakers an unlikely win to close a five-game homestand.

It wasnt the only excitement, either.

The halftime show was put on by former NFL star turned TV personality Shannon Sharpe, the Grizzlies Dillon Brooks and Ja Morant and father Tee Morant who all took part in the rare courtside celebrity versus the entire city of Memphishalftime argument.

It was ridiculous and it got kicked up a notch after the game, with Times ace Brad Turner in the visiting locker room to hear these gems from Brooks:

On the Sharpe run-in:I aint talking about that. You can ask him. Hes the blogger or whatever he is. I dont really care about all that. Next question.

On if Sharpes interaction was appropriate for a fan:A regular pedestrian like him? No. He should have never come back in the game. But this is L.A.

Asked about it,LeBron Jamesdidnt hesitate in picking sides.

I ride with Shannon for 365 days, 366 on a leap year, 24/7, James said. So, thats my guy. So Ill always have his back and hes got mine. He can talk with the best of them, for sure.

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Dan Woike is the Lakers beat writer for the Los Angeles Times after spending two seasons covering the league as a whole, with an emphasis on Los Angeles teams.

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