Trade deadline: Lakers enter the Nate talks

The Boston Celtics are clearly your frontrunners, but the Lakers have at least asked around a little about Nate Robinson from the Knicks.

Robinson, who has the right to approve or disapprove a trade as part of his expiring $4 million contract, also is getting interest from the Lakers. A league source said the Celtics and Lakers are the only teams that would get his approval. There have been reports he’s agreed to go elsewhere, but the source only confirmed the Celts and Lakers as definites.

Robinson would bring either team instant scoring off the bench. The challenge is finding a deal that works -- Robinson is a base year compensation player (he has a one-year deal), meaning the Celtics can only take on about $2 million in salary. For Boston that has meant talk of Eddie House. The Celtics don’t really like that deal and are looking for a third team to make it more palatable.

For the Lakers, that would mean Shannon Brown (not going to happen) or finding another guy off the Knicks roster to match up with Adam Morrison’s expiring $5.2 million deal (or a pick, which they won’t give up). And how many guys do the Lakers really want off the Knicks roster? This may be a case of the Lakers trying to drive up the asking price for a rival.

Does Robinson really fit either team on the court? He would provide scoring punch to benches that have lacked it. But the Celtics have talked about wanting a good defensive point guard behind Rajon Rondo, and Robinson is certainly not that. Plus giving up playoff-tested House is a loss. Meanwhile the Lakers have slowed down their second unit’s pace to and play more half-court, would Robinson really be a good blend in the triangle offense? An offense where the point guard’s role is to initiate and then hit spot-up threes, which is not really Robinson’s game.

That said, as the trade deadline nears teams are more willing to settle, so these are things to keep watching?