The Los Angeles Lakers are starting to develop their young players, fueling speculations that they will eventually part ways with their veterans to get future picks or young assets for their ongoing rebuilding.
One of the players mentioned in several NBA trade rumors involving Los Angeles is Jeremy Lin, who was acquired by the Lakers in a deal with the Houston Rockets in the offseason.
Lin, who is playing in the final year of his contract, began the season as the starting point guard of the team, but was eventually benched in favor of Ronnie Price.
Lakers coach Byron Scott recently tweaked his starting lineup anew, but started rookie Jordan Clarkson in favor of Lin, who was not used in their 99-85 loss to the San Antonio Spurs last week.
Recent rumors suggested that the Lakers will eventually shop Lin before the deadline, especially after Clarkson proved that he can handle the starting duties for Los Angeles.
In his first four starts this season, Clarkson, the 46th overall pick in the 2014 NBA Draft, averaged 13.8 points to go along with 3.3 assists and 2.5 rebounds.
In their 123-118 double-overtime victory against the Chicago Bulls on Thursday, the 22-year-old point guard tallied 18 points on top of four rebounds, four assists, two blocks and two steals for the Lakers, earning praises from Scott.
"I think we have a pretty good basketball player in this young kid," Scott said of Clarkson. "When he falls on his face, he gets right back up. He wants to get better; he works his butt off every single day. If you look at his first game against San Antonio, and his last game last night, he's shown improvement."
With Clarkson's development, the Lakers might decide to shop Lin instead of losing him via free agency next summer. In the first place, the Lakers do not view Lin as a part of their long-term plan according to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports in an interview last month.
Should the Lakers decide to keep Lin beyond the trade deadline in February, the former Harvard University is not expected to return to the team, especially after sharing his frustration about his diminished role in Los Angeles.
"I'm human. I got emotions," Lin said of his demotion via San Jose Mercury News. "I show up and do my best to play and work hard. But it definitely hurts. It's discouraging sometimes and disappointing. All of those emotions, of course, I don't think anybody would feel great after a DNP, no matter who you are."
Should the Lakers just trade Lin before the deadline?
