With just a few days to go until the start of the New Year, this season may already be a wrap for the Los Angeles Lakers. Despite the best efforts of LeBron James, the Purple and Gold just don’t have enough to compete this season and they seem destined for another finish at the bottom of the standings.
As calls continue to get louder for Rob Pelinka to make a move, it’s becoming clear that the only option the Lakers have to get significantly better is by trading at least one of their future first-round picks.
But as Shams Charania recently explained on FanDuel TV, it’s going to be tough for the Lakers to find a return that would warrant making such an enormous sacrifice. Here’s the latest update provided by the NBA insider:
“The reality and the facts are is that the Lakers are gonna have to be patient with those two first-round picks that they have/ Because those are their only two assets for the rest of the decade,” said Shams. “So if you’re gonna trade your 2027 first, your 2029 first-round pick, you have to be sure about tth player you get. If you can go get a Bradley Beal, if you can go get a Zach LaVine, maybe then you consider it. But some of these guys that we’ve been talking about for over a month or so, you’ll go get them if you can move a protected first and that’s what they had to offer. But now with Anthony Davis out, we don’t know exactly when he’s gonna be back. But how does he come back? So it’s tough to make a move where you’re jeopardizing future assets. We saw them do a little bit of that. They’ve been down that rabbithole already.”
"It's tough to make a move where you're jeopardizing future assets. We saw them do a little bit of that. They've been down that rabbithole already."
Shams Charania on the Lakers' having only 2 first round picks the next 7 years 🗣
(via @FanDuelTV)pic.twitter.com/yTXwzyvPKY
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) December 28, 2022
The Lakers don’t usually depend on their draft picks to build championship teams Aside from a few exceptions, most of their big-name players throughout history came via trade or free agency. But does Rob Pelknka really want to leave his team with no draft assets for the next decade?
Lakers Front Office Will Reportedly Not Make Win-Now Moves This Season
Against all odds, LeBron James is still an elite basketball player this season and the Lakers could, in theory, have a chance to make some noise when/if Anthony Davis gets back healthy. Unfortunately, until the Lakers see something more, GM Rob Pelinka is unlikely to make moves that will jeopardize his team’s future.
“Reinforcements via trade would obviously help, and the Lakers are still evaluating their options on a dormant trade market” said Lakers beat writer Jovan Buha. “At the same time, it becomes increasingly challenging to justify trading a first-round pick if the group continues to struggle. The front office doesn’t want to compound its previous mistakes with more win-now moves.”
The Lakers are taking a very patient and reserved approach to their roster, and it makes sense. With no clear route to championship contention, why would the Lakers give up their future for the next decade to bring in guys who barely move the needle?
This deadline, don’t be surprised if the Purple and Gold stand pat despite their struggles. LeBron will not like it, but it might just be what’s best for the long-term future of the franchise.
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