“Kelly Oubre Jr. for Lonzo Ball?”: Warriors looking to recruit support for Steph Curry with playmaking and shooting by trading for former Lakers guard

Shams Charania reports that the New Orleans Pelicans may send Lonzo Ball to the Golden State Warriors in exchange for Kelly Oubre.

The Los Angeles Lakers gave up on D’Angelo Russell once they realized that they could draft Lonzo Ball with the second overall pick in the 2017 NBA draft. Magic Johnson believed Lonzo would break all of his records he set for the Lakers.

This didn’t pan out all too well as merely two years later, the Lakers shipped Ball out to New Orleans in a massive package that would land them Anthony Davis. This worked out perfectly for the Lakers as they won a title last year.

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The same can’t be said about Lonzo Ball as he’s been struggling mightily in Stan Van Gundy’s system with the Pelicans this season. He’s putting up abysmal shooting stats across the board. He’s only making 28% of his 3s and shooting 38% from the field this season. Now, the Pelicans are looking to trade him.

Multiple teams are interested in dealing with New Orleans

Lonzo Ball is reportedly a sought after asset in the league, despite his lacklustre performances this season. Teams such as the New York Knicks, Raptors, and the Clippers have expressed a certain level of interest in Lonzo. New Orleans has reciprocated this interest as they have “showed an openness” to trading Ball.

Report: Multiple teams have expressed interest in Lonzo Ball, including the Knicks, Raptors, Mavs, Clippers, and Magic

(via @ScoopB) pic.twitter.com/u1wIPh688Q

— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) January 20, 2021

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The Knicks seem to be desperate in their search for a point guard as they have also expressed interest in Derrick Rose. The Clippers most definitely need an upgrade over Patrick Beverley at the 1, at least in terms of facilitating the offense.

Warriors have discussed trade for Lonzo Ball with the Pelicans

A team that has popped in regards to having an interest in New Orleans’ assets is the Golden State Warriors. The Warriors are having a rocky start to their 2020-21 NBA campaign. They are currently hanging onto the 8^th seed by a thread, boasting a 9-8 record.

Reports claim that they’re looking to shop swingman Kelly Oubre Jr. and have included him in trade talks with the Pelicans. Oubre has definitely regressed when compared to how he played on the Suns last season.

The Warriors could acquire a competent ball handler behind Steph Curry who can facilitate the offense for the 2^nd unit. This ball handler could come in the form of Lonzo Ball. Reports have not linked Ball to GSW as of yet. However, the timing for both these rumors could suggest a potential team up between the former Laker and the 3x champ.