Proposed Trade Lands Lakers $15 Million 3-Point Shooting Forward

Getty The 2022-23 Lakers

The Los Angeles Lakers are in desperate need of shooters around All-Stars LeBron James and Anthony Davis and Heavy.com insider Sean Deveney has a trade idea involving the Philadelphia 76ers.

In an October 20th piece called “Proposed NBA Trades to Fill Major Roster Holes for Celtics, Heat & More,” Deveney proposed that the Lakers trade guard Kendrick Nunn to the Sixers for swingman Furkan Korkmaz.

“Look, Korkmaz is not going to save the Lakers season by any stretch,” Deveney wrote. “But the fact is, if the Lakers want to do something to address their shooting woes without coughing up a pick, Nunn is their only chip—and not a particularly valuable one at that. Korkmaz has been up-and-down in his NBA career from the 3-point arc, including only 28.9% on 3s last year, but is a 35.4% shooter in his career. It’s worth a shot, so to speak.”

Korkmaz is 6-foot-7 and one of the best shooters at his position. He’s a career 35.4% shooter from beyond the arc. The Istanbul native has career averages of 7.8 points, 2.2 rebounds and 1.3 assists while shooting 40.4% from the field and 76.9% from the free-throw line.

Korkmaz signed a three-year, $15 million contract with the Sixers in August 2021. He’s making $5 million this season. Since Nunn is earning $5.3 million in 2022-23, the Lakers can trade the guard to the Sixers for Korkmaz straight up under CBA rules.

West Exec: The Lakers Are ‘Hurting for Shooting’

A Western Conference executive who spoke to Deveney said the Lakers are “hurting for shooting.” Los Angeles is shooting only 21.2% from beyond the arc as a team through the first three games of this season. The purple and gold are 0-3.

“The roster is better than it was last year, it’s younger and more athletic,” the exec told Deveney. “But there are still a lot of places where things do not make sense. They’re hurting for shooting. We knew that coming into the year, and they did not pay enough attention to that as they were adding people. They don’t have a real answer up front, either. Do you want to play Davis at the 5? Is that the best thing for him? They got some pretty good backup big guys but they did not really get a starter who is worthy of playing there.”

Korkmaz wouldn’t make the Lakers title contenders. However, he could help them become more dynamic on offense since he can shoot 3-pointers. The 25-year-old shot a career-high 40.2% from beyond the arc during the 2019-20 season. It’s possible a change of scenery and playing with an elite passer in James could help Korkmaz rediscover his outside touch.

Nunn Hasn’t Been Good for the Lakers

Nunn missed all of last season due to a bone bruise in his right knee. The Chicago native has struggled in his return, shooting only 26.3% from the field and 23.1% from beyond the arc.

The last time Nunn played before this season was in 2020-21. He averaged 14.6 points, 3.2 rebounds and 2.6 assists for the Miami Heat while shooting 38.1% from 3-point range. The Lakers need him to get back to that form. Otherwise, Nunn is expendable.

Nunn has been mentioned in several Russell Westbrook trade proposals due to his tradable salary. Once Dennis Schroder returns from his thumb injury, Nunn and Westbrook could be traded together.