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3 contenders the Lakers are now better than after the deadline

By Jason Reed

SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - OCTOBER 18: LeBron James #6 of the Los Angeles Lakers is guarded by Klay Thompson #11 of the Golden State Warriors at Chase Center on October 18, 2022 in San Francisco, 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 Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - OCTOBER 18: LeBron James #6 of the Los Angeles Lakers is guarded by Klay Thompson #11 of the Golden State Warriors at Chase Center on October 18, 2022 in San Francisco, 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 Ezra Shaw/Getty Images) /
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The Los Angeles Lakers made several trades during the NBA trade deadline that completely reinvented the team. Los Angeles not only got Russell Westbrook out of town but got younger and more talented in the process. That is always a great thing.

Even though the Lakers are currently closer to the first overall pick than they are the no. 1 seed in the Western Conference, they must now be taken seriously as a true contender. LeBron James and Anthony Davis are still a nightmare headache and now there is a supporting cast that is arguably better than the 2020 title team.

The Lakers are still in striking distance as far as the standings are concerned and should be able to play there way above the play-in. Other contenders are hoping this does not happen, as the Lakers are now a better team than several legitimate NBA title contenders. Let’s break down the three that stand out the most.

3. The Los Angeles Lakers are better than the Dallas Mavericks

Coming out with the hot takes right away. The Dallas Mavericks made the first big trade of the week as the team traded for Kyrie Irving from the Brooklyn Nets. While the Lakers also tried trading for Irving and ultimately got spurned, they ended up with a better team as a result.

At its best, this Luka Doncic-Irving tandem is going to be very fun to watch and very hard to stop as a defense. However, there are plenty of reasons to not be afraid of this team, particularly in a playoff series.

Irving is the most unreliable superstar in the league and nobody can pencil him in to even play in a playoff series for the Mavericks. If things aren’t going perfectly how Irving wants he will quickly let it be known to Dallas.

Second is the fact that the Mavericks’ style of play with Luka Doncic typically doesn’t result in winning playoff series against other contenders. As great as Doncic is, it is similar to the James Harden Rockets. It is really hard to beat a contender four times playing an helio-centric style of basketball.

That is why Irving is now in town to fix that and while it would absolutely be a dogfight, the Lakers should come out on top as long as all goes well.

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