For months now, Lakers fans have been clamoring for their team to make a big-time trade. As we have seen over the past few weeks, this current regime with LeBron, Westbrook, and Davis just doesn’t work, especially when there aren’t enough shooters to make things easier.
Unfortunately, there’s only so much the Lakers can do to change their roster, but they do have enough assets to make at least one more notable trade.
For a while, the odds looked good for a deal with the Pacers for Myles Turner and Buddy Hield, but the Lakers reportedly refused the opportunity this past summer. In fact, they could probably have those players today if they called the Pacers right now.
“The one I’ve said I would sleep over if I were a Buss or Mr. Pelinka is trading both picks to the Pacers for Buddy Hield and Myles Turner,” said NBA Insider Zach Lowe. “My best intel right now is if the Lakers called Indiana right now and said ‘Both picks unprotected,’ the Pacers would do that deal, would probably do that deal.”
NBA Insider Reveals Why The Lakers Do Not Want To Trade For Buddy Hield And Myles Turner
Yet, even at 2-9 on the season, the Lakers have yet to make any significant moves. Why is that? According to a report by Chris Haynes this week, it’s because the Lakers don’t feel like any available move would really put them over the top.
James, who turns 38 next month and is in Year 20 of his NBA career, does not want to waste a season of his high-level playing days in hopes of incoming reinforcements for the 2023-24 campaign, sources say. Other core players on the roster would likewise prefer those picks to be used to elevate this year’s team.
That’s the burdensome decision Pelinka now faces.
With the team’s trajectory trending south, sources indicate the front office is unlikely to attach those picks to a potential trade out of concern that such a transaction would not significantly change the course of the season.
It is not universally believed internally that a trade for Indiana Pacers center Myles Turner and sharpshooter Buddy Hield would move the needle to title contention, sources say.
If that concern proved to be accurate, the Lakers would be devoid of lucrative resources for the remainder of James’ contract, which runs through 2024-25.
With the Lakers so limited with assets, any move they make now would essentially give them nothing to work with going forward. With no picks or any notable young players, the Lakers would be in complete win-now mode with no means of escape if things don’t work out again.
At almost 38 years old, LeBron James is willing to do whatever it takes to win today because he may not have tomorrow. But until Rob Pelinka and the front office see it the same way, they are going to wait for their guy (maybe Bradley Beal) to become available.
At the very least, they can wait until the summer when Russell Westbrook becomes a free agent.
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