The Los Angeles Lakers are trying to bolster their future line-up by swapping Roy Hibbert to acquire Nerlens Noel.
Noel is way better than Hibbert. He is younger and more athletic, so he will be more productive to the NBA's faster game.
According to Yibada, Basketball Insiders' Steve Kyler said the Lakers "would rather let the veterans play out and find room for the young guys than potentially poison the locker room not playing the vets - some of which are very tradable soon."
There are only few veterans in the Los Angeles line-up, so he was probably referring to the three players that the team acquired in the summer: Roy Hibbert, Brandon Bass and Lou Williams.
Hibbert could be useful among the three, a 7-2 center with good playoff experience. The Boston Celtics may want to acquire him as they need a defensive center. This trade may end up as a three-way deal which will include the Philadelphia 76ers as the LA Lakers are looking for a much younger roster.
As reported by the Movie News Guide, Hibbert could eventually be traded with David Lee of the Boston Celtics as both of their contracts are expiring. The Boston Celtics will save themselves a second round draft from their reserve just to alleviate the deal. This will get Noel to play for the Lakers in exchange of Boston Celtics' D'Angelo Russell which the Philadelphia 76ers has been eying since they sent off Michael Carter-Williams last season.
If the Los Angeles Lakers do not want to trade Russell, the other option would be giving up their 2016 Draft Pick Protection. If the team does this, they will have Russell, Noel, Jordan Clarkson and Julius Randle in their roster. This will give the Philadelphia 76ers two sure picks in the lottery - their own team and the Lakers. The Boston Celtics, on the other hand, can test Hibbert as their defensive center, and if it did not work out, they can just let him go.
