Lakers Strongly Pursuing Trade for Coveted Swingman, per Report

The Lakers are locked in on a player they’ve targeted since free agency.

As the NBA trade deadline approaches, the Los Angeles Lakers consistently find themselves mentioned among many of the biggest rumors every season. But while names like Dejounte Murray, Zach LaVine and DeMar DeRozan have all been linked in some fashion to the Lakers ahead of this year’s Feb. 8 deadline, their sights appear to be set on a player they’ve attempted to add since free agency, Bruce Brown.

Brown, who the Toronto Raptors acquired as part of the Pascal Siakam trade, signed with the Indiana Pacers in free agency on a two-year, $45 million deal that priced the Lakers out of signing him. But due to immense trade interest, Brown’s days in Toronto may be numbered. Los Angeles has reportedly been interested in acquiring Brown since even before the Siakam trade, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.

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“You go back to the summer, and they had some confidence that they may be able to sign Bruce Brown in free agency until Indiana stepped up and offered him the two years, $45 million,” Wojnarowski said on ESPN’s NBA Today. 

“…The Lakers tried to see if they could trade for Bruce Brown from the Pacers, didn’t get him. He goes to Toronto as part of the Pascal Siakam deal, and now the Lakers, they’re going to continue to be on the phone with Toronto between now and the trade deadline trying to see if there’s a way that they can get Bruce Brown.”

The NBA insider previously stated that since the Lakers’ postseason loss to the Denver Nuggets last season, Brown is the “one player they’ve really been focused on trying to acquire.”

It’s an interesting tidbit from Wojnarowski, and specifically, hearing that the Lakers have attempted to trade for Brown with two different teams now is noteworthy. However, it was also highlighted that numerous teams are interested in acquiring the Raptors guard, so the question of how much Los Angeles may need to give up to swing a deal for Brown will be worth monitoring.