NBA: The Lakers are foolish not to trade for Nerlens Noel

We are approximately over a month away from the NBA trade deadline and it seems there is another team who has expressed interest in Philadelphia 76ers center Nerlens Noel. Over the last few weeks, several NBA teams have expressed interest in Noel from the Portland Trail Blazers to the Dallas Mavericks. The newest team to express interest in Noel is the Los Angles Lakers.

[Jon]

However, there is a twist that makes the Lakers situation different from the Blazers. While the Blazers were willing to part ways with some of their possible younger players, the Lakers do not want to part with any of the younger guys. According to Sean Deveney of Sporting News, the Lakers have expressed interest in Noel, however, the most they would be willing to give up is a future draft pick. He also reported that the future draft pick would not be until 2021, which all depends on how the draft plays out this May. By having this mindset going further, they end up becoming limited on potential free agents in the future.

If the Lakers ever want to get back to the glory days like they had with guys like Kobe Bryant and Shaq, they should make moves that could make a huge impact on the court. Noel makes logical sense for the Lakers as they are one of the worst defensive teams in the NBA. He is the type of player who could help this young team. However, it should be noted that the Lakers happen to be limited on what they can even offer for Noel. Several of the Lakers draft picks are owed to the Philadelphia 76ers and the Orlando Magic.

It should also be noted that the Lakers have gone on record as having zero interest in parting ways with any of their younger guys like D’Angelo Russell and Julius Randle. This seems very typical of the Lakers to say they have an interest in a player, but they don’t want to part ways with anyone that is valuable. I feel this is a foolish move on the Lakers behalf as trading for Noel can help greatly on the court. If I were the Lakers, I would make the trade as quickly as I can. You have a major potential on your hands to help your team.

This is a rumor and should be taken with a grain of salt.