Lakers resurrecting pursuit of failed trade target?
Nov 20, 2016; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Lakers President Jeanie Buss before the game against the Chicago Bulls at Staples Center. Bulls won 118-110. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
The Los Angeles Lakers may be trying to reverse a recent goof-up.
Matt Moore of The Action Network reports Wednesday that the Lakers have circled back to targeting a trade for Indiana Pacers guard Buddy Hield. The Lakers were on the verge of landing Hield, then with the Sacramento Kings, last summer. But they had a last-minute change of heart and redirected the assets that would have been used to acquire Hield to trade for former MVP Russell Westbrook instead.
The Westbrook move ended up going wrong in a trillion different ways and is still giving the Lakers organization a serious headache. But successfully maneuvering this time around for Hield, who is owed $39 million over the next two seasons, might help alleviate some of the pain.
Averaging 18.2 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 4.8 rebounds per game for the Pacers last season, Hield is a catch-and-shoot demon who has nailed 39.8 percent of his three-pointers for his career. That would make Hield an ideal fit for a LeBron James-led offense, regardless of who else is on the floor. If nothing materializes on the Hield front though, the Lakers appear to be targeting another big name in free agency.
