Lakers Running Out Of Trade Partners

First it was David Stern flexing his communist muscle to prevent Chris Paul from sporting purple and gold in Los Angeles. Soon after salary concerns trumped any trade to acquire Michael Beasley from Minnesota. Dwight Howard’s indecisive diva nature has all but ruled out the possibility of Superman II coming to Los Angeles. The Lakers didn’t have the goods to pry Jose Calderon away from Toronto. Same goes for Cleveland and their disposable point guard Ramon Sessions. Today word spread that the Lakers and Celtics briefly discussed a Pau Gasol for Rajon Rondo swap but that too looks highly unlikely.

So…just who is left for the Lakers to make a deal with?

The NBA trade deadline is mere days away and every trail the Lakers were pursuing has gone cold.

There are rumors swirling that the Houston Rockets, an original player in the first CP3 deal, are still looking for a way to trade for Gasol…again. Otherwise there doesn’t seem to be too much out there that would tempt the Lakers to add salary while dumping an All-Star.

Much to the delight of Dan Gilbert the rules of the new CBA a keeping the big spending Lakers out of the improvement department. Unloading Lamar Odom was more of a move made to save coin. Forget anything you heard about Odom’s butt-hurt reaction.

Those same financial constraints have prevented other potential trades. With the clock ticking and the number of trade scenarios dwindling it looks like we won’t see any new additions or subtractions from the current roster.

While the Lakers desperately need an upgrade at point guard their real weakness is depth. If a blockbuster deal can’t be struck then a lesser move would be advisable in order to give Mike Brown more weapons when he benches his starters. Last in the league in bench scoring, the lack of depth will surely be the death of this team in the playoffs.

After it is all said and done the ultimate results of this season will fall at the feet of the front office. From the mishandling of the hiring and firing of the coaching staff to the constant miscommunication with the players, the once solid Laker front office is on shaky ground. Should nothing be done prior to the deadline you’ll know it was a given that ownership never saw championship potential in this roster. A last second deal could indicate some belief in the team but will likely also be a move made to secure future financial gain.

No matter the case the Lakers have already gone through a gauntlet of trade rumors and speculation. That none of them has come to fruition should serve as a sign that nothing will be done. And that could prove the ultimate undoing of the season.