Any Trade Likely to Involve Kukoc, Rice

Lacking other blockbuster options, if the Lakers make an effort to move Glen Rice by the Feb. 24 trade deadline, several sources say their likeliest target for acquisition would be Chicago Bull forward Toni Kukoc.

Rice, whose contract expires after this season, scored a combined 12 points in the Lakers’ 0-2 Texas trip.

Rice was held out of long stretches of both games by Coach Phil Jackson, who has not hidden either his ambivalence about keeping Rice on the roster or his keen interest in acquiring Kukoc, a multidimensional threat and key end-game scorer on three of Jackson’s championship Bull teams.

Publicly, Laker officials have insisted that they remain positive about Rice’s future with the team and his talents as a big-time scorer.

Other sources say that, though they have not ruled out moving Rice, Executive Vice President Jerry West and General Manager Mitch Kupchak want to receive top value--a player either younger or brawnier than Kukoc, 31--should they even consider dealing a player they consider one of the NBA’s best.

But several sources this week said Rice’s obvious growing tension with Jackson and his declining production could nudge trade talks along, especially after Portland disavowed rumors that it was about to acquire Kukoc.

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Thanks to their 3-6 tailspin, the Lakers don’t have the best record in the NBA anymore, and, for the first time since Dec. 14, they trail another team--Portland--in the Pacific Division standings.

“But no matter what happens, there’s still 40-50 games left,” Shaquille O’Neal said. “We just have to get back on track. . . .

“I think the last couple weeks, we’ve been playing [very poorly]. But we’re still up there in the top echelons.”