Los Angeles Lakers: 3 reasons they could stay pat at the NBA Trade Deadline

2. Who Would They Trade?

The Lakers have been reluctant to trade any of the young core other than for an All-Star. All of them have teased us with an outstanding game here and there, but their inconsistency has been maddening not to mention threatening front office patience.

Rumors have run rampant about acquiring superstar Anthony Davis. But, New Orleans has virtually no motivation to trade him at this point unless they are offered a lopsided return. Johnson is too smart to do that, so let’s be realistic and table that discussion for now.

It’s always possible the Lakers would focus on trading for another All-Star. But, remember their strong desire is to leave cap room for at least one major free agent. So the chances of trading any of those young players now seem slim.

Beyond that, the Lakers have seven players with expiring contracts and three rookies. Might one or two of them get swapped for someone else who is signed for the rest of this season only?

Certainly, that’s possible, but all seven vets have filled their roles pretty well so far, and the three rookies all have good potential. Trading one or more would seem to represent change for the sake of making a change. It’s not likely to improve the team very much.