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 asked Rob Pelinka about the possibility of using the team’s first-round picks ahead of the Feb. 9 trade deadline.
His answer: pic.twitter.com/JnxduPXqdS
— Jovan Buha (@jovanbuha) January 25, 2023
“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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