Lakers Rumors: Examining Whispers Surrounding Los Angeles Before Trade Deadline

The Los Angeles Lakers could be in dire straits ahead of Thursday's trade deadline.

Los Angeles was already without Anthony Davis for a prolonged period and will now be without LeBron James for an indefinite amount of time after James suffered a high-ankle sprain during Saturday's loss to the Atlanta Hawks.

The Lakers remain in third in the Western Conference after Sunday's loss to the Phoenix Suns. But they are just 2.5 games up on the six-seed, which is not a whole lot of ground without Davis and James on the floor.

How will general manager Rob Pelinka proceed in the coming days as L.A. begins this stretch without either of its top stars? Here are some of the latest Lakers rumors.

One of the challenges the Lakers face is relative cap inflexibility when it comes to taking on contracts in trades. It is for that reason that L.A. could be a bigger player in the buyout market.

Brian Windhorst of ESPN reported on SportsCenter (h/t pickuphoop) the Lakers' "big play" would be signing the Cleveland Cavaliers' Andre Drummond if he is bought out. Windhorst added the Lakers hope to be "at the front of the line" to sign Drummond in the event of a buyout.

Drummond has not played since Feb. 12 as the Cavs have looked for trade options. Yet he remains in Cleveland with the trade deadline looming large.

Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com reported there is "growing expectation" around the league that Drummond will be bought out. One rival executive also told Fedor few teams with trade interest in the two-time All-Star could compete with the Lakers or Brooklyn Nets in the buyout market.

Drummond was averaging 17.5 points, 13.5 rebounds and 2.6 assists in his first 25 games, He was making a bigger impact defensively, averaging 1.6 steals and 1.2 blocks.

The 27-year-old would give the Lakers some added size and frontcourt scoring. But he would also force Lakers head coach Frank Vogel to be creative with minutes considering Drummond, like Montrezl Harrell, is a paint-bound big.

Drummond might be L.A.'s top target, but the Lakers are also looking for guards.

Windhorst reported the Lakers have been in "some talks" for a guard to help take on some of the ball-handling duties, especially in light of James' absence (h/t pickuphoops).

Los Angeles could give added responsibilities to Talen Horton-Tucker. But it is entirely possible the Purple and Gold are in search of a veteran player.

The Lakers do not have many options. George Hill might be ideal as a guy who can handle the rock and shoot the three, but his contract could be too much to take on.

Perhaps the Lakers will look at Detroit Pistons 2-guard Wayne Ellington, who is shooting 42.2 percent from beyond the arc on 6.4 attempts per game. He could make for a cost-effective option who might also fill a vital catch-and-shoot role.

Damian Jones was brought in as a frontcourt reinforcement following Davis' injury, and his play prompted L.A. to award him another 10-day contract.

However, it is unknown whether Jones will be with the Lakers again this season.

Dan Woike of the Los Angeles Times reported that the Lakers opted not to sign Jones for the remainder of the season because of roster spots and the hard salary cap (h/t Bleacher Report's Mike Chiari). But Vogel said Sunday "the door is not closed" on Jones sticking in L.A. (h/t Ryan Ward of Lakers Nation).

Jones' second 10-day contract expired overnight Sunday. He averaged 5.4 points and 3.3 rebounds in eight games and 14 minutes per contest with the Lakers.

This might be a wait-and-see kind of thing for L.A. It probably does not make sense for the Lakers to sign Jones should Drummond get bought out. But if the Cleveland center is traded or signs with the Nets, it could make sense to keep Jones around for frontcourt depth.

All stats obtained via Basketball Reference unless otherwise noted.