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Lakers have to be buyers at the deadline: 3 potential moves to make

By Cameron Salce

SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA - DECEMBER 21: Los Angeles Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka looks on before the game against the Sacramento Kings at Golden 1 Center on December 21, 2022 in Sacramento, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images)
SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA - DECEMBER 21: Los Angeles Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka looks on before the game against the Sacramento Kings at Golden 1 Center on December 21, 2022 in Sacramento, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images) /
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If not for their poor 2-10 start to the season, the Los Angeles Lakers would already be squarely in the playoff hunt. Even though they have improved it is still clear that they lack shooting and need some help on the wing.

There are clearly members of the roster that are expendable based on production and playing time, and if they make the right moves, they will be set up to make a run deep into the Western Conference playoffs.

This season is wide open for the taking in the Western Conference without one dominant team. When healthy, the Lakers can compete in a playoff series with all the teams at the top, they just need to get in the dance.

To get there, the Lakers need to at least make an effort to improve at the trade deadline.

They can do so by either adding a minor piece or making a big splash by finally pulling the trigger on a Russell Westbrook trade.

It is all going to come down to whether the Lakers’ front office is willing to part ways with either of their 2027 and 2029 first-round picks. They have been rumored to be some of the most valuable assets in the league, so the Lakers should just trade them and go for the championship this season.

Sure, they would like to keep most of their assets in the event of a rebuild after LeBron’s inevitable departure, but they need to focus on hanging banners now because that has always been the Lakers’ path to success. AD looked like a monster before he went down, Austin Reaves looks like he took a step forward in his second season, and Lonnie Walker has been a pleasant surprise.

They’re all out, and they have won six of their last 10 games and just beat the top team in the conference, the Memphis Grizzlies. If they can get healthy and add shooting and wing depth, that has already been proven to be a championship recipe with a healthy LeBron and AD.

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