Lakers: Kendrick Nunn Has "Negative" Trade Value Says NBA Expert

Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report doesn't believe Nunn is viewed as a valuable trade asset by rival GMs.

The NBA trade deadline is less than two weeks away. Lakers GM Rob Pelinka has been making calls, but has limited trade assets with LA’s current roster construction. Three names consistently pop-up in the NBA trade rumor mill when it comes to the Lakers: Talen Horton-Tucker, Russell Westbrook, and Kendrick Nunn.

Bleacher Report’s Evan Pincus thinks that Nunn doesn’t have much cache with other NBA general managers. He explained on an episode of the FnA Podcast.

“Nunn has relatively negative value because he’s been hurt all year and he hasn’t played. It’s not a question of if ‘ is he’s a good player?’. If you’re trading for him, you’re trading for a player who may not play this year. Even if he will play this year, if you’re a risk adverse general manger, on another team…there’s an aura of fear that drives the market.”

Nunn has been sidelined with a knee injury for the entire season. It was reported in early January that Nunn was “getting closer” to making his Lakers debut. Then, a couple of weeks later, reports surfaced that Nunn’s knee wasn’t responding well to an increase in basketball activity.

To Pincus’ point, an injured player who’s been in street clothes all season isn’t very enticing in a trade package.

In the first two years of his NBA career, Nunn average 15.0 points per game and shot 36.4% from three. When healthy, he’s a quality player who can help any team. But that was then, and this is now.

The NBA trade deadline is Thursday, February 10th 12:00 PM PST.

That might be the time the Lakers have to accept their roster reality.