The Los Angeles Lakers need all the help they can get right now. With LeBron James in and out of the lineup, Anthony Davis and Russell Westbrook have tried their best to carry the Lakers in the meantime, but they have failed to generate enough wins so far.
Considering the fact that LeBron James is nearly 40 and not getting any younger, it’s fair to say that this Lakers team should be doing whatever they can to maximize their potential right now.
But according to ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne, they aren’t really aiming to make any drastic moves at this time. On NBA Today this week, she explained why:
“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. 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.”
.@ramonashelburne on the Lakers' sense of urgency to make a trade:
"They are not necessarily motivated right now to go do something big unless something big presented itself to them." pic.twitter.com/NKlbFC2hPd
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) November 28, 2022
What Are The Lakers’ Plans On The Trade Market This Season?
So, it seems the Lakers will stick with a patient and cautious approach to their trade dealings this season. Despite their struggles, it seems the Lakers aren’t so willing to shake things up right now, even if it means trading Russell Westbrook.
Still, sources claim that the front office has been actively evaluating the roster.
The Lakers are evaluating the roster to determine if they’d prefer to make a smaller move or a bigger one to address the roster’s need for better perimeter shooting and size, team sources tell The Athletic. That includes deciding if they want to include one or both of their tradeable future first-round picks in 2027 and 2029 in any deal. The Lakers remain reluctant to give up both unless there’s a trade – or trades if they split the picks up in separate deals – they believe will elevate them to contender status.
It remains to be seen what the Lakers decide to do moving forward, but there is no doubt that LeBron James will be pushing for them to make a move before it’s too late.
It will be up to Rob Pelinka to decide what he values more: his team’s young players and draft picks, or valuable veterans who can raise the ceiling of this underachieving Lakers team.
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