Even with LeBron James and Anthony Davis, the Los Angeles Lakers are in no position to compete for a title in the Western Conference. Besides a few notable contributors, the team just doesn’t have enough in terms of supporting talent to push them over the hump.
This is the reason why fans have been practically begging the Lakers, namely GM Rob Pelinka, to make some moves and save the season before it’s too late.
The problem is, the Lakers have been unwilling to include any of their draft picks so far, and are being reported as ‘uninspired’ to make any immediate moves.
“I think because they’ve gotten some wins and there’s so much parody in the Western Conference, they don’t feel that sense of urgency and I don’t know if they should at this point,” said Ramona Shelburne. “This team really has played well when they’ve been healthy and they’ve been a lot healthier. Granted they are playing bad teams but you see growth, you see some togetherness. My sense from talking to people around the league is that they are not motivated right now to go do something big unless something big presented itself to them. They are waiting for their phone to ring rather than calling. That December 15 date looms larger. And the idea before was they needed to have another ball-handler, they need to have somebody else to create besides LeBron James. That guy might be Dennis Schroder. He’s been playing really well since he’s come back. Russell Westbrook is established in that second unit. I think it might only be a matter of time before Schroder moves into that starting lineup.”
Without giving up their most valuable assets, it’s unlikely the Lakers can pull off any kind of deal that makes their team significantly better.
NBA Insider Reveals Which Players The Lakers Are Waiting For
Of course, there are still some names that the Lakers would trade their picks for. In a recent article, The Athletic’s Jovan Buha revealed what it would ultimately take:
The longer the Lakers wait, the more options there are, both in terms of available players and suitors. There’s still a chance, however slim, that a star becomes available closer to the trade deadline, be it Washington’s Bradley Beal, Chicago’s DeMar DeRozan or Zach LaVine, or Brooklyn’s Kevin Durant. Those players would certainly be good enough to get the Lakers to cough up both future first-round picks. The flip side is the Lakers run the risk of the team falling out of the playoff and/or Play-In contention if they wait too long, especially since 15 of their next 23 games are on the road.
The Lakers are still a few weeks away from their self-imposed trade timeline, but the clock is ticking. Their chances of getting serious this season hang in the balance.
Obviously, no moves are imminent at this time, but things could change in a few weeks or months. if the right team falls apart, and the right player becomes available, don’t be surprised to see the Lakers make their big move.
Unless that happens, though, the Purple and Gold are standing pat and waiting things out. We will see how long LeBron remains patient.
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