Lakers stand pat at NBA trade deadline

The Lakers didn’t make any moves at the trade deadline, opting to focus instead on the buyout market that will unfold during the rest of the month.

Although they had interest in several players who were traded, such as Marcus Morris, who landed with the Clippers, and Andre Iguodala, who landed with the Heat, the Lakers did not ultimately pull the trigger on a deal. The Knicks had wanted the Lakers to send them forward Kyle Kuzma and find a third team to take guard Danny Green.

The Lakers, who have the best record in the Western Conference, approached the trade deadline with a willingness to part with anyone except LeBron James and Anthony Davis if that meant improving the roster. But they also believed in the team’s chemistry and were hesitant to make major moves.

Retired guard Darren Collison, a UCLA alumnus, has interest in signing with the Lakers but is expected to wait until after the All-Star break to announce if he’s coming out of retirement.

According to the New York Times, the Lakers are planning to work out JR Smith, a free agent who played in four NBA Finals with James when they were members of the Cleveland Cavaliers.