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Los Angeles Lakers Rumors: Utah Jazz, Washington Wizards In On Lou Williams

By Kenneth Teape

Jan 1, 2017; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Toronto Raptors guard Cory Joseph (6) chases down Los Angeles Lakers guard Louis Williams (23) as he drives to the basket in the second half of the game at Staples Center. Raptors won 123-114. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 1, 2017; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Toronto Raptors guard Cory Joseph (6) chases down Los Angeles Lakers guard Louis Williams (23) as he drives to the basket in the second half of the game at Staples Center. Raptors won 123-114. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports /
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Los Angeles Lakers Rumors: Things are starting to heat up on the Lou Williams market as the Washington Wizards and Utah Jazz are both interested in acquiring the explosive sixth man.

Los Angeles Lakers rumors have picked up recently. Despite having the third-worst record in the NBA at 19-39, the Lakers are a team to keep an eye on with the NBA trade deadline quickly approaching.

The Lakers have a number of players that could draw interest on the trade market. Nick Young has had a good season for Los Angeles as their starting shooting guard.

The Lakers would love to unload either Luol Deng or Timofey Mozgov as both were removed from the starting lineup in favor of younger players.

The player that could draw the most interest on the Lakers is Lou Williams. Williams is in the midst of a career year as he has cemented himself among the best of the best in terms of sixth men in the NBA.

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Williams would bolster the bench of any team that would acquire him.

According to reports, Williams is drawing interest from a few teams. Zach Lowe of ESPN reports that the Washington Wizards are connected to Williams, while Ian Begley of ESPN New York says that the Utah Jazz are interested in acquiring Williams.

Lowe reports that the Wizards have looked into sending a protected first-round pick to the Lakers in exchange for Williams. Begley reports that there are people within the Jazz’s front office that want Williams on the team.

"Some members of the Utah Jazz front office have expressed interest recently in Lakers guard Lou Williams, ESPN sources say. Many around the league believe Williams is likely to be dealt before Thursday’s trade deadline. Some teams who have talked to the Lakers about Williams believe Los Angeles is seeking a first-round pick in any Williams swap."

It should be no surprise that the Lakers are looking for a first-round pick for Williams. The teams interested in acquiring him are in the thick of the playoff race and looking to get a leg up.

While the pick is unlikely to be in the lottery, the Lakers would be happy to land a first round pick of any kind for Williams.

Williams would not be a difficult player to fit into a team’s salary cap. Given the exorbitant contracts teams have been handing out in free agency recently, Williams contract is a steal. He is under contract for one more season at only $7 million.

That is a number many teams can handle, even one as capped out as the Wizards.

Lowe believes that the Lakers can be waited out by Washington. If the Wizards wait long enough, Lowe says they should be able to land Williams for a couple of second-round picks instead of a first rounder.

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Waiting things out could backfire on the Wizards, especially if the Jazz step up to the plate and offer a first-rounder.

The question these teams will ask themselves when considering a Williams trade is, will he push them to the next level?

Can Williams push the Wizards closer to competing with the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference or the Jazz in the Western Conference against the Golden State Warriors?

There is no doubt that Williams would bring a scoring punch to whichever team acquires him. He is averaging a career-high 18.6 points to go along with 2.3 rebounds and 3.2 assists in only 24.2 minutes per game.

Washington needs to improve their bench if they want to make a run in the postseason. They have also inquired about Bojan Bogdanovic of the Brooklyn Nets, another person who would bring instant offense to the table.

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If Williams proves to be costly, or their offer is beaten by the Jazz or another team, Bogdanovic could prove to be a worthwhile alternative.

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