Lakers News: LA Ships Thomas Bryant to Denver for Draft Compensation

They must have another move up their sleeve.

The Los Angeles Lakers have shipped Thomas Bryant to the Denver Nuggets for wing Davon Reed and three second-round picks. ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski was first to report on the agreement.

The Lakers are trading Thomas Bryant to the Nuggets for Davon Reed and three second-round picks, sources tell ESPN.

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) February 9, 2023

Bryant has brought incredible energy to the team on both sides of the ball this season. In 21.3 minutes per game, Bryant averaged 12.1 points and 6.3 rebounds per game on 65.4 percent shooting from the field and 44 percent shooting from deep.

He filled in very nicely as the starting center when Anthony Davis was sidelined, but clearly, the Lakers don't see him having a great fit with the rest of the moves they made.

Also, the Lakers were able to recoup three second-round picks, and now have five tradable second-rounders. That definitely leads me to believe they have another move up their sleeve over the next couple hours before the 12 p.m. trade deadline.

The Lakers signed Thomas Bryant to a $2.1 million contract this offseason.

He brought incredible energy on both sides of the ball, and filled in perfectly when AD was out.

Clearly, the Lakers have another move up their sleeve, as they now have five second-round picks to trade. https://t.co/LGIjV4eFw2

— Noah Camras (@noahcamras) February 9, 2023

As for the return, Reed played just nine minutes per game with the Nuggets this season. I don't see him playing a role in Los Angeles at all. If anything, I think this trade opens up minutes for Wenyen Gabriel, who has shown incredible energy on both sides of the ball, too, but has fallen out of the rotation since Davis returned.

Again, this move leads me to believe that LA has one more coming before the deadline. So stay tuned.