The Los Angeles Lakers did not end up making any moves at the trade deadline. They will be going ahead with the same exact roster they’ve had all season unless they are able to add someone from the buyout market.
While the team ended up standing pat, it seems as though it was not for lack of trying. It was previously reported that the Los Angeles Lakers and the Houston Rockets had talked about a deal that would send Christian Wood and John Wall over to Los Angeles in exchange for Russell Westbrook, Talen Horton-Tucker, and a first-round pick.
Sam Amick of The Athletic has recently revealed that the Los Angeles Lakers were working on another trade scenario ahead of the trade deadline. It seems as though they were trying to acquire sharpshooter Buddy Hield from the Sacramento Kings prior to him getting traded to the Indiana Pacers.
That being said, it has long since been revealed that the Lakers (26-30, ninth place in the Western Conference) know they made a mistake by adding Westbrook. I wrote in early January about how they showed covert interest in discussing possible Westbrook deals early on this season. The “covert” part, in case anyone wondered, referred to the general idea that they were really hoping Westbrook wouldn’t find out.
But more specifically, sources say one such scenario involved Sacramento and — wait for it — a deal in which then-Kings guard Buddy Hield would be sent to the Lakers. Yes, that’s the same Buddy Hield who came so close to being traded to the Lakers in the summer before they prioritized the Westbrook trade with Washington and left the Kings fuming.
The Los Angeles Lakers have previously tried to get Buddy Hield last summer, in exchange for a package centered on Kyle Kuzma, as mentioned here. However, they ended up moving for Russell Westbrook, which was a move that clearly has not worked out thus far.
Hopefully, the Los Angeles Lakers end up getting better in the future. They are currently a play-in tier team, but their talent suggests that they should be higher in the rankings. It will be interesting to see how they do in the coming weeks.
