The Los Angeles Lakers have once again showed interest in adding young talent to their roster, as both teams are reportedly inclined to make a trade for Phoenix Suns center Miles Plumlee, USA Today NBA insider Sam Amick reported on Tuesday.
The Lakers are again in the hunt for a solid young talent whom they believed could turn out to be a cornerstone of the team in the future. General manager Mitch Kupchack has already acquired budding rookie forward Tarik Black, who showed promise during his brief stint with the Houston Rockets.
Rookie forward Julius Randle is also expected to return from a broken tibia next season, but that won't stop the Lakers from exploring a deal to add another good young talent in their frontline.
Plumlee, the 26th overall pick in the 2012 NBA Draft, is averaging 4.3 points, 5.1 rebounds and 1.0 blocks in just under 19 minutes of playing time. He emerged as the Suns' big man last season as he averaged 8.1 points and 7.8 rebounds in 24 minutes, but the team relegated him back to the second unit to speed up the development of 2013 no.5 overall pick Alex Len.
According to Marc Stein of ESPN, the Suns are asking at least a first-round pick for Len. An asking price many analysts believed would be 'difficult to obtain,' considering Plumlee's play this season.
"Amick suggests that Plumlee would welcome a trade from the Suns, which seems in line with the notion that agent Mark Bartelstein has been working with the team to try to find a trade partner, as Marc Stein of ESPN.com reported last month."
"The Suns have also sought a first-round pick for the center, Stein also heard, a return they've seemed highly unlikely to obtain. It's unclear whether the Knicks and Lakers are willing to pay that price."
Although they still have a first-round pick outside its protected top-5 pick in this summer's draft, it's very unlikely the Lakers will use it for Plumlee. However, they can offer either Ed Davis, who is putting up strong numbers for the Lakers this season. Davis, averaging 8.0 points, 7.3 rebounds and 1.2 blocks in 24 minutes, is earning just under $1M this year, but he's expected to opt out this summer to test the free-agency waters.
