At 13-18 on the season, the Los Angeles Lakers find themselves in an interesting position three days before Christmas. With Anthony Davis sidelined for a few more weeks (or months), the Lakers are now faced with the impossible task of keeping their season alive without him.
To say that things are looking bleak in Lakerland right now might be an understatement, and there are no signs that things will get any better before the summer.
Yet, even amid their current struggles, there is a silver lining for the Purple and Gold. As one NBA executive explained to Dan Woike of the Los Angeles Times, the latest development with AD could actually help the Lakers make a trade before the deadline.
“Another rival said that if negotiated properly, he felt the Davis injury could actually help the Lakers’ position in trade talks,” Dan Woike of the Los Angeles Times wrote. “The team’s sought leverage in talks since the summer, with much of the league viewing them as ‘desperate’ to make some kind of trade.
“That, plus the early-season timing of any talks, has kept the asking price really high. This executive thought a Davis injury of any real severity would give the Lakers leverage they haven’t had since the summer by giving them a very real reason to shut down talks and focus on the offseason.”
Rival NBA executive says Anthony Davis’ injury could actually help the Lakers in trade talks: https://t.co/Lk7HDyhhTC
— Lakers Daily (@LakersDailyCom) December 22, 2022
The Davis injury isn’t good by any stretch, and the Lakers are worse off for it having happened, but his being out does give them some added leverage in trade negotiations and they’d be fools not to use that to their advantage.
What Are The Lakers’ Plans For The 2023 Trade Deadline?
The Lakers shouldn’t be expected to land any big names this season, and some reports suggest they’ll target players like Mo Bamba or Terrence Ross.
It’s also possible, however, that they do nothing at all and wait for the summer before re-shuffling the roster.
“The trade completion in Lakerland has realistically changed this weekend irrespective of the Pistons’ Bogdanovic plans,” wrote NBA insider Marc Stein. “Losing Anthony Davis indefinitely to a foot injury, suffered in Friday’s win over Denver, means that the Lakers’ playoff hopes might well be snuffed out already since they are 12-16 in the loaded West even with Davis playing as well as he ever has, averaging 27.4 points, 12.1 rebounds, and 2.1 blocks per game on while shooting a robust 59.3% from the field. Passing Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as the NBA’s All-Time leading scorer thus might be the only thing LeBron James, currently 766 points away from the top spot, has left to play for in his 20th season.”
It remains to be seen what the Lakers decide to do this trade season, but don’t be surprised if Pelinka ends up shocking everyone with a trade nobody saw coming.
While he may not have plans to make any deals right now, the NBA is more wide open than ever and if the right player becomes available, you can bet the Lakers will be open to giving up whatever they have available to get him on the team.
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