The NBA trade deadline is less than a month away and with that comes a slew of Los Angeles Lakers rumors. The Lakers are the most prominent team in the entire league and are absolutely a team to watch as it pertains to the deadline.
It has been a rollercoaster season for Los Angeles not only with the results of the games but with the reporting around the team. At some points it looked like a Russell Westbrook trade was inevitable, until it wasn’t. Then it seemed like the front office was destined to make a smaller trade until they weren’t.
There are still a few weeks for the Lakers to figure out which direction they are going to go. Based on the latest intel, it appears that the team may have already figured that out. According to ESPN’s Dave McMenamin, the Lakers are approaching the deadline with a long-term view, not a short-term one (h/t CBS Sports).
"“If the right deal emerges that will make them — in their eyes — a better team over the next, like, three years, that’s their priority. They want the team to get to the best level it can get while LeBron James is still on the roster. But if that means not making that deal in February and playing out the rest of this season with the group that they have and knowing that they feel like there’s gonna be a better deal in July in the offseason, they’ll do that.”"
Ah, so a front office that has been prone to making harsh decisions in the past is not going to make a harsh decision at the deadline this year. Well, at least they are learning from the previous mistakes that put the team in this position, to begin with.
What these Lakers rumors mean for the trade deadline:
If these Lakers rumors hold true, Lakers fans should not expect the team to trade either of the available first-round picks. And it makes sense to hold onto those picks. Every six months a disgruntled star wants out of his situation and the Lakers could leverage those picks (as well as the ability to then trade a 2030 pick swap) to land said disgruntled star.
Unless a trade magically opens that makes the team a contender, the Lakers are right to not use the two first-round picks on a Dodge Caravan (nothing against my minivan folks) when they could use the two first-round picks on a Porsche 911.
It also means that the team could be targeting younger players or players that are under contract for several years. This goes hand-in-hand with acquiring someone like Cam Reddish or even someone like Alec Burks, who is under contract for two more years.
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The Los Angeles Lakers may have more trade options at the deadline if these teams continue to play poorly over the next month of action.
This does not rule out a trade entirely, it just rules out a trade that is going to steal headlines and the front pages of newspapers. And you know what, that is fine. The worst thing the front office can do is compound previous mistakes with another mistake.