Lakers News: ESPN Insiders Think LA Could Trade Several Role Players This Year

How different will this team look by mid-February?

The Los Angeles Lakers have been underwhelming through 31 games of the season. The team currently sits at 16-15, and they haven't looked like the team we all thought they'd be when they added some reinforcements this past off-season. 

This team is not the team we all thought they would be by this time, and no doubt changes are on the horizon. And, no Laker fans, we're not talking about the head coach; we're talking about roster changes. 

The Lakers will look different by mid-February, but who will be on the move for the purple and gold? It may be too early to tell, but several ESPN NBA insiders may have an idea. Tim Bontemps, for one, believes "multiple players" could be headed out the door this year.

"Like last season, this team is going to need to make moves at the deadline to improve after its attempts to do so this summer fell flat," Bontemps writes. "That'll mean multiple guys will be playing elsewhere come mid-February.

Kendra Andrews and Jamal Collier got more specific regarding which Lakers will most likely be moved for the Lakers. 

 

"Among those Lakers could be Gabe Vincent or Rui Hachimura," Andrews writes. "They are two of several players with tradable contracts, and the team will be active ahead of the trade deadline.

"Let's add another Laker -- D'Angelo Russell," Collier opines. "Compared to the rest of the teams in action on Monday, the Lakers are the most likely to shake up its roster in some way over the next six weeks. If so, Russell seems likely to be on the move.”

Gabe Vincent, Rui Hachimura, and D'Angelo Russell were among those mentioned by the insiders. 

Russell and Hachimura's contracts are the most tradeable on the roster; the only question is if they'll be enough to get a player that fits the bill. 

That's all questionable right now, and the poor play of Rui and D-Lo isn't helping the Lakers out. They have been average at best in the past handful of weeks, and that could hurt the Lakers' chances to move either of them. 

As for Vincent, he may have little to no value, given that he's only played in five games this season and will miss six to eight weeks. Gabe moving is unlikely, but D-Lo and Rui could be with a new team by February. All this is speculation right now; we'll see if have a higher value by then.