The Los Angeles Lakers have recently made a move for forward Rui Hachimura, improving their depth at both forward positions. There is no doubt that this was a solid move for the team, and will likely improve their defense and add more scoring with the bench unit.
As of right now, the Los Angeles Lakers have a record of 22-25, but they can easily make the play-in tournament or the playoffs by the end of the season. LeBron James wants to win immediately and will likely do whatever is necessary to make it happen.
With their recent trade, it is essential to evaluate the team’s depth chart. Here is a list of all Los Angeles Lakers players, sorted by position. The info was provided by NBC Sports Edge.
Point Guards: Dennis Schroder, Russell Westbrook, Dennis Schroder
Shooting Guards: Patrick Beverley, Austin Reaves, Javante McCoy, Nate Pierre-Lewis
Small Forwards: Lonnie Walker IV, Troy Brown Jr., Max Christie, Cole Swider
Power Forwards: LeBron James, Rui Hachimura, Juan Toscano-Anderson, Wenyen Gabriel
Centers: Anthony Davis, Thomas Bryant, Damian Jones
Thomas Bryant has been playing at a high level, and the Los Angeles Lakers may end up playing a frontcourt that features both him and Anthony Davis. That would slide LeBron James down to the SF position, and the Lakers would also keep the starting backcourt of Dennis Schroder and Patrick Beverley.
The Rui Hachimura move helps the Lakers improve immediately and could potentially provide value in the long-term as well if they sign Hachimura to an extension. They are only a few games out of getting a playoff spot and could potentially make a deep run in the postseason if they get there. They are only 4 games behind the 4th seeded New Orleans Pelicans and could potentially finish as a top 4-6 seed if they go on a 10-0 run when Anthony Davis returns. We’ll see what happens in the future, and the Los Angeles Lakers could get even better if they make another win-now move.
The Lakers Are Still Discussing Russell Westbrook Trades
The Los Angeles Clippers have been linked with many potential trades ahead of the deadline, with many of them involving Russell Westbrook. A recent report suggested they were still talking about a Westbrook trade with the Spurs.
Interestingly, a team insider says that talks between the Spurs and the Los Angeles Lakers that involve Russell Westbrook are still alive. Those talks have been on the back burner for a couple months but I’ve been told that both the Lakers and Spurs remain open to the possibility depending on how the next two weeks play out prior to the trade deadline.
In addition to Poeltl, the Lakers are said to be interested in Josh Richardson and Doug McDermott.
It will be interesting to see if the Los Angeles Lakers do end up trading Russell Westbrook in the future. Though he is no longer a star-level player, he has done well off the bench for the Los Angeles Lakers this year.
The Rui Hachimura move was a good addition for the Lakers, but to be truly competitive, they likely have to make another move. We will see what happens in the future, and perhaps they can acquire an impact player that takes them to the next level as a team.
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