NBA Trade Rumors: Andrei Kirilenko to Los Angeles Lakers or Utah Jazz?
The Brooklyn Nets are reportedly planning to shop Andrei Kirilenko before the trade deadline in February in the hope of getting future assets by giving up a player who has not been utilized well this season.
Recent reports indicated that the Nets could trade Kirilenko to the Los Angeles Lakers, Utah Jazz, or the struggling Philadelphia 76ers before the deadline.
Kirilenko, who is averaging just 5.1 minutes per game this season, will be an attractive trade piece for several teams because of his $3.3 million expiring deal. But according to Lake Show Life, the Lakers want him not because of his expiring contract, but because of his ability to help the team on both ends of the floor.
The Lakers could package the disabled player exception that they got from Steve Nash or Julius Randle along with young assets or future draft picks to acquire Kirilenko, who could start for the Lakers in favor of Wesley Johnson.
Kirilenko would be an upgrade at the small forward position as most analysts are convinced that he could help the Lakers win without affecting Kobe Bryant's aggressiveness on offense.
The Lakers need all the help that they can get in every position this season after Nash, Randle and Xavier Henry were all ruled out for the rest of the season due to injuries.
But aside from the Lakers, the Nets will reportedly consider trading Kirilenko to Jazz. According to Marc Stein of ESPN, the Nets could trade the 33-year-old forward to Utah in exchange for either Jeremy Evans or Toure Murry.
Kirilenko spent the best years of his 13-year NBA career in Utah where he played for 10 seasons prior to moving to the Minnesota Timberwolves before the 2012-13 NBA season.
In his lone season in Minnesota, Kirilenko averaged 12.4 and 5.7 rebounds to go along with 1.5 steals and 1.0 blocks, but his numbers went down significantly when he moved to Brooklyn last season.
The 76ers are also mentioned as a possible trade destination, but the rebuilding squad, who are 0-15 this season, are just interested in getting Kirilenko because of his expiring deal, which they can use to create additional salary cap room in the offseason.
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