Lakers reportedly have interest in trade for Eastern Conference guard

With the NBA trade deadline fast approaching, the Los Angeles Lakers (22-22) have reportedly set their sights on All-Star guards Zach LaVine and Dejounte Murray, but could the Purple & Gold settle for a less-expensive option — but a quality role player — instead? 

According to Matt Moore of The Action Network, the Lakers have internally expressed interest in Brooklyn Nets guard Spencer Dinwiddie, a native of Los Angeles, who grew up a huge fan of the late Kobe Bryant.

While Dinwiddie has played for three different teams in as many years, he remains a quality rotational player who is averaging 13.5 points and 6.1 assists this season — and most importantly, will provide the Lakers with much-needed shooting depth. The Lakers currently rank 28th in the league in 3-pointers made and 18th in 3-point percentage. 

While Dinwiddie is shooting only 33 percent from the 3-point arc, he had multiple seasons shooting over 40 percent playing with Luka Doncic in a Dallas Mavericks uniform. Much like Doncic, LeBron James creates a lot of open 3-pointers for his teammates with his ability to drive and kick the ball — a recipe that helped many of his teams make deep postseason runs.

Furthermore, unlike for potential trades for LaVine or Murray, the Lakers won’t have to part with too many valuable assets to acquire Dinwiddie, who's owed $18.8 million this season on the final year of his contract. 

The Lakers could potentially include Rui Hachimura and rookie Jalen Hood-Schifino to acquire Dinwiddie instead of shipping out D’Angelo Russell, who's averaging 27.2 points and 6.4 assists since re-entering the starting unit over the last five games. 

The Lakers have also been linked with Tyus Jones and Collin Sexton — other guards that could be less expensive to acquire than LaVine or Murray. 

While the expectation around the league is for the Lakers to wheel and deal ahead of the Feb. 8 deadline, LeBron James recently downplayed the idea of GM Rob Pelinka making wholesale changes to the roster.