The NBA trade market is heating up. Trae Young has just been traded to the Washington Wizards. Shams Charania of ESPN says the Grizzlies are open to trading Ja Morant for the first time, and now we have more news regarding a team of interest to Lakers fans.
According to Chris Haynes, an NBA Insider for Prime, the Pelicans are informing teams that their best players are not available for potential deals.
If this is true, it means the NBA has even fewer sellers than previously believed.
The Lakers have reportedly been among the teams to contact the Pelicans about Herb Jones. However, with the asking price beyond what Los Angeles can afford and New Orleans allegedly wanting to keep its players, a trade seems unlikely.
Still, a lot can change between now and the Feb. 5 deadline.
Jones would be exactly the kind of 3-and-D player the Lakers could use. He is averaging 9.5 points and 3.7 rebounds per game and Jones would improve the team’s perimeter defense, giving Lakers head coach JJ Redick a player who can excel in his switch-heavy system.
Luka Dončić has also praised Jones’ defensive play before saying that Marcus Smart and Jones are the toughest defenders he’s faced. So, he would undoubtedly be happy adding another elite defender to the roster.
But you can’t trade for players who aren’t available.
It’s particularly interesting that the Pelicans are also reportedly saying Zion Williamson, Trey Murphy, Jeremiah Fears and Derik Queen are also not available.
Queen and Fears being two of the players they want to keep makes sense since they are rookies. But also maintaining a roster that’s currently 8-31 doesn’t seem like the best course of action either.
If this isn’t posturing and that’s indeed the plan in New Orleans, it seems like an odd choice given their place in the NBA hierarchy.
We’ll see if Lakers President of Basketball Operations Rob Pelinka can coax them into a deal, or if it’s better for LA to make calls to teams that are actually interested in making one.
You can follow Edwin on Twitter at @ECreates88 or on Bluesky at @ecreates88.bsky.social.
