The NBA trade season is finally upon us, but the Los Angeles Lakers are among the teams yet to make a move in this 2025-26 campaign. The Feb. 5 trade deadline isn’t all too far away now, and Lakers insider Dave McMenamin spoke about general manager Rob Pelinka’s thought process during an appearance on The Starting Lineup on SiriusXM NBA Radio.
“What is Rob Pelinka’s marching orders?” McMenamin said. “And how is he actually viewing this trade deadline period in terms of job performance for him moving forward? Is it more important for him to make this team as competitive as possible, or is it more important for him to maintain assets so Luka Doncic, 2026 summer moving forward, can have the best chance to have a team fit around him with the assumption that LeBron James is gone? And based on what we’ve seen so far, I think the latter appears to be the direction we’re moving in.”
Pelinka appears to have his eyes set on the long-term, so we shouldn’t expect this roster to look all too different after the deadline. A small move might be made, but not a significant one that negatively impacts their chances to create the ideal roster around Luka Doncic.
The Lakers are said to be prioritizing having cap space in the 2026 offseason so they can go after a big-name free agent. That has made them hesitant to acquire anyone on a long-term deal.
The Lakers had been linked to DeAndre Hunter and Keon Ellis previously, and they were available, as they ended up being traded for each other. So, why didn’t they get either of them? Well, not being willing to take on money beyond this year played a part.
To go with this salary aspect, the Lakers also have an incentive not to trade away their 2031 or 2032 first-round pick in any move right now. Doing so would mean they would have three tradeable first-round picks in the summer, which they could use to acquire a superstar. If Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo isn’t traded this season, the Lakers could potentially be in the mix for him in the summer.
So, there will be multiple ways to improve this roster in the summer if nothing is done now. If Pelinka fails on both fronts, though, he will probably be in trouble. The Lakers have a new majority owner in Mark Walter, and you’d imagine he wouldn’t hesitate to fire a general manager he didn’t hire.
Pelinka would be all but throwing in the towel for this season by not making a move. The Lakers are fifth in the West with a 30-19 record, but this is a flawed roster that lacks elite athletes and defenders. You wouldn’t be surprised if they are sent home early in the playoffs, as was the case last season when the Minnesota Timberwolves beat them in five games in the first round.
Punting on a season for a far better future is something one can accept. If the Lakers roster isn’t looking significantly better by the time the 2026-27 season commences, though, then this current approach would have been a failure. Only time will tell if Pelinka looks like a genius or is on the hot seat.
