Lakers trade Thomas Bryant to Nuggets for Davon Reed, 3 second ...

The Los Angeles Lakers traded Thomas Bryant to the Denver Nuggets for Davon Reed and three second-round picks on Thursday, the teams announced. Here’s what you need to know:

• Bryant, who signed a one-year deal with Los Angeles this offseason, is averaging 12.1 points and 6.8 rebounds a game.
• The 25-year-old center saw his minutes increase over the last two months as a replacement in the starting lineup for Anthony Davis, who has missed time with back and foot injuries. Bryant averaged 14.4 points and 8.3 rebounds per game in January.
• Reed, a shooting guard, has averaged 2.3 points and 1.6 rebounds per game for Denver this season. He has appeared in 35 games, averaging 9 minutes.
• The Lakers (25-30) were part of a three-team trade on Wednesday that saw Russell Westbrook moved to Utah in return for Minnesota guard D’Angelo Russell. Los Angeles sits 13th in the Western Conference standings while Denver (38-17) boasts the second-best record in the NBA behind Boston.

With Davis back, and the acquisition of big man Jarred Vanderbilt on Wednesday, the Lakers had a logjam at the center position. They also value fourth-year big Wenyen Gabriel, who has been out of the rotation recently. Bryant’s defensive limitations made him tough to play in certain matchups, which was compounded by the Lakers’ reliance on multiple small guards.

The Lakers will continue to look for frontcourt upgrades, seeking another wing, big forward and/or another defensive-minded center. Bryant, who filled in admirably when Davis missed five-and-a-half weeks due to a right foot injury, will back-up Nikola Jokic and bolster Denver’s bench unit. — Buha

The underrated part of this deal is the Lakers replenished their asset cupboard, adding three second-round picks after trading four of them in their two prior trades for Rui Hachimura, Vanderbilt, D’Angelo Russell and Malik Beasley.

Los Angeles now has five second-round picks they can use to make upgrades, including ahead of the 3 p.m. ET deadline. Their next trade — another move is almost certainly happening — will likely include the use of a second-round pick or two rather than a first-round pick, according to a team source. — Buha

(Photo: Gary A. Vasquez / USA Today)