Los Angeles Lakers: 7 takeaways from six-game road trip

4. Trade deadline blues

The NBA Trade Deadline was a disaster for the Lakers this year. In the first two trade deadlines under Magic Johnson, the team made shrewd moves that netted them extra draft picks and salary cap space. This season, all that was brought was dissension in the locker room and distractions.

The Lakers tried their hardest to pry Anthony Davis away from the New Orleans Pelicans. Their efforts were rebuffed, but the impact was felt. The young core was negatively impacted, as they seemed distracted hearing their names in all of the rumors.

Los Angeles did make two trades. They acquired Reggie Bullock from the Detroit Pistons and Mike Muscala from the Clippers. However, the price may prove to be steep for both players, as Svi Mykhailiuk was sent to Detroit with a second round pick and Michael Beasley and Ivica Zubac were sent across the hallway.

Trading Svi, Zubac and a second round pick for what could amount to two rentals would be a steep price. On paper, Bullock and Muscala should help, as both are solid shooters. Bullock has already been inserted into the starting lineup, which shows how high the organization is on him.

However, the long-lasting impact on the organization is what to take away. The young players have looked different on the court, as they saw the tough, business side of the NBA rear its ugly head.

Hopefully, the young players can get back on track as some of the performance by them, and the team as a whole, leading up to and following the deadline were unacceptable.