Jordan Clarkson bounced back from a dismal performance, but Jeremy Lin continues to struggle as the Los Angeles Lakers took a 102-86 loss to the Portland Trail Blazers on Wednesday at Moda Center in Oregon.
Clarkson finished with a team-high 17 points to go along with six rebounds and four assists, while Lin added just two points on 0-for-6 shooting from the field in 21 minutes of playing time. Their Trail Blazers counterparts were simply too much for them as they absorbed their 40th loss of the season.
Wesley Matthews led the Blazers with 20 points and five rebounds, while All-Star point guard Damian Lillard added 15 points and eight assists. Reserve guard C.J. McCollum added 10 points for the Blazers, who also got another productive night from LaMarcus Aldridge - 18 points and 12 rebounds.
As Lin continues to struggle and play less minutes than the usual, talks about him being traded before the deadline on Feb. 19 continue to surface.
Lin, who started the 2014-15 NBA season as the starter for the Lakers before being bumped out by Ronnie Price and Clarkson, is playing in the final year of his contract.
The Lakers, who are currently in 14th place in the Western Conference standings with their 13-40 record, are looking for assets for their rebuilding, and trading Lin could give them what they are looking for.
Reports indicated that the Lakers could trade Lin to a playoff contender looking for a backup point guard, but Sean Deveney of Sporting News revealed earlier this month that the market for the 26-year-old point guard has been very weak because of his struggles this season.
Lin, who is averaging 10.4 points on 43.2 percent shooting from the field to go along with 4.6 assists and 2.5 rebounds per game this season, will become a free agent in the summer, and the Lakers are trying to trade him instead of losing him for nothing.
However, ESPN insider Nick Borges pointed out that the Lakers will have a difficult time trading Lin because of his lucrative contract unless they are also willing to take a bad contract in return.
"Lin is on the salary cap this season for $8.37 million, but he's actually making close to $15 million as part of the offer sheet he signed with the Houston Rockets in July of 2012," Borges wrote via Inquistr. "Lin is currently still owed $6.05 million this season. For that reason and his lack of production, the Lakers can only deal Lin if they are willing to take back an equally bad contract."
