After finishing outside the playoffs in the Eastern Conference last season, the Indiana Pacers are looking to make moves for an improved 2021-22 campaign.
The Domantas Sabonis-Myles Turner pairing in the frontcourt is still alive, though complicated, while T.J. Warren looks to join Malcolm Brogdon and Caris LeVert in the starting lineup.
On the bench, the Pacers have some solid veterans across the board but some might not be enough to move the needle in the right direction and crowd the depth chart.
One such player is Jeremy Lamb, one of the backup wings on the roster. Lamb, 29, is still a strong 3-point shooter, but with LeVert’s recent entry and lottery pick Chris Duarte entering the fold, Lamb has become expendable in the backcourt.
Indiana has seemingly begun shopping him around, and according to J. Michael of the Indianapolis Star, the Los Angeles Lakers are among the interested teams:
“According to league sources, about four teams have expressed interest in dealing for Lamb, including the L.A. Lakers and Charlotte Hornets.”
Lamb, who shot a career-high 40.6 percent from deep last season after returning from an ACL tear, could definitely play a role as a catch-and-shoot threat alongside LeBron James, Russell Westbrook and Anthony Davis.
The issue, though, is matching salaries. Lamb is on a contract worth $10.5 million a year. The only Laker in that range is Talen Horton-Tucker after he re-signed on a three-year deal.
Given Los Angeles’ reluctance to part ways with Horton-Tucker for players like Kyle Lowry near the trade deadline last season, it seems unreasonable for them to move the promising 20-year-old booming with potential for a less dynamic threat than that of Lowry.
