The Los Angeles Lakers "had talks" about Atlanta Hawks forward Paul Millsap and "expressed interest" in Philadelphia 76ers center Nerlens Noel, but they have no plans to trade anyone from their young core, per Sean Deveney of the Sporting News. They're also not in a position to trade a future draft pick until 2020 or 2021, so, uh, I would love to know what they thought they could offer the Hawks and Sixers.
The Lakers "have not included" D'Angelo Russell, Julius Randle or Brandon Ingram in trade discussions and "are unlikely to consider" trading Jordan Clarkson or Larry Nance Jr., according to the Sporting News. There's absolutely nothing wrong with that -- they have all been impressive this season, and it's possible that they could make up Los Angeles' starting lineup at some point. If the Lakers are patient with them and let them grow together, then the losing they have endured over the past few seasons could be worth it.
If they aren't willing to move any of these players, though, it'll be difficult for the front office to construct the sort of trade that would accelerate their rebuilding process. Guards Lou Williams and Nick Young should have value because of how efficient they've been this season, but their other veterans are either on expensive contracts (Luol Deng, Timofey Mozgov) or not in high demand (Jose Calderon, Metta World Peace, Marcelo Huertas). The safe bet is that Los Angeles will stand pat.
