A gripe we have been hearing about the Lakers since the start of the season has been about their hesitance in making a big trade that saw them give up their remaining future first-round picks in an effort to add depth to the roster and get better in the short-term. However, the Lakers haven't made any moves that included those picks.

Acquiring Rui Hachimura through 3 second-round picks was great business, but if the Lakers want to make a needle-moving trade, they need to give up their first-round picks. GM Rob Pelinka has revealed the exact circumstance in which the Lakers will be willing to give the picks up.

"I think the calculus for the Lakers is to win a championship or not. There's no in-between or incremental growth. So as we analyze opportunities, we have to do it through that lens. And I said this at the beginning of the season, if there's an opportunity to get all the way to the end and win a championship, there's no resource we'll hold onto if we feel like that's there. But at the same time, the completely unwise thing to do would be to shoot a bullet early and then not have it later when you have a better championship move to make. So that's a really delicate calculus. It's something that the entire front office, we evaluate with all of the moves. If we see a move that puts us as a frontrunner to get another championship, the 18th one here, we'll make it. And if that move doesn't present itself, we'll be smart and make it at a later time."

If the Lakers are still going third-star hunting with the picks, they probably won't find a move. However, adding depth by using one contract and getting as many as 3 shooters that fit the Lakers' play style might be a move that could make them title contenders, even if it doesn't bring back an All-Star caliber name.

Is This The Correct Strategy For The Lakers?

The Lakers always go hunting for big names, even when they might get a better-fitting player. The Russell Westbrook trade is a great example, as it saw them prioritize getting Russ over a shooter like Buddy Hield. That trade also caused the Lakers to not re-sign Alex Caruso, a loss that's been hurting them since AC left.

Getting multiple complementary rotational players might be the perfect way to use the picks, but we know that LA is waiting for a team to panic sell their best stars, and they'll hope that their 2 picks are enough to add them to LA. 

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