Lakers reportedly not including young core in trade talks

D’Angelo Russell, Julius Randle and Brandon Ingram aren’t going anywhere. The same goes for Jordan Clarkson and Larry Nance Jr..

Sean Deveney of Sporting News reports that the Los Angeles Lakers have no plans to trade their young core:

According to league sources, the Lakers have not included any of the three into trade discussions, and do not figure to change that. They’re unlikely to consider moves involving their two other young role players, Jordan Clarkson and Larry Nance Jr., who figure to be key parts of the rotation in the near future.

All five players are products of the previous three drafts. Russell, Randle and Ingram were lottery picks, Nance was a late first-round pick and Clarkson was drafted in the middle of the second round. These five players are considered to be the future of the Lakers, which is why the team is not including them in trade talks.

One Western Conference scout told Deveney: “If you made a list of the 20 best players who are 22 or under, I think you’d have to have all three of the Lakers’ young guys on there. They’re three of the best young guys in the league. There’s really not a lot of teams can say that, and I think a lot of mediocre teams would like to swap rosters with the Lakers right now.”

In the past, the Lakers preferred to make the team into a contender by signing or trading for high-priced players, but it seems their approach to rebuilding has changed over the years. They now value their young players, and it will only be a matter of time before their young core starts producing more wins.