Are the Los Angeles Lakers exploring the trade market? Yes. Will that lead to anything of substance? Probably not. If that does prove to be the case, the reasoning behind it is very familiar for fans in Los Angeles.
Jake Fischer told everyone recently the Lakers are going to operate conservatively ahead of the NBA trade deadline. Marc Stein did not use those exact words in his latest rumor mill round-up, but that message was implied between the lines.
The NBA insider reassured that his sources continue to say the Lakers are looking for a two-way wing to boost the team. That pursuit does not come without obstacles. For starters, Stein mentioned Herb Jones and Trey Murphy III are still largely unavailable. There's also the following issue.
Stein wrote, "It's believed that the Lakers are only going to sacrifice their projected financial flexibility in the summer — which is expected to furnish them with the ability to make significant roster changes — only if they can acquire a real needle-mover at the position."
Lakers could pass on the trade that might save their season
Making a trade from a point of desperation is not a move that poises itself to yield positive results. However, inaction is a familiar trend for the Lakers.
Towards the back end of the LeBron James and Anthony Davis era, there were a ton of murmurings regarding a cautious approach due to concerns about the future. That still remains true, but in a different way here.
Before, the Lakers could not see a healthy future by overly investing in the James-Davis duo. Sacrificing what stability they had left for the post-LeBron era did not appear to be worth it due to the perceived limited ceiling of the stars they had leading the way.
With Luka Doncic, the Lakers have a clear future. So much so, they are willingly to forego the present in favor of that. The problem with that is Doncic is a win-now player. Luka has already signaled the desire to be pushing for a championship too.
"We have a great team. We have what we need to compete for the championship," Doncic said at the press conference following news of his extension. "[I'll] try to win every game no matter what. ... We're going to go for it."
The way that Los Angeles is reportedly operating does not line up with that 'going for it' mindset.
Granted, the best two-way option the Lakers know is currently available would be Keon Ellis. The Sacramento Kings guard is a guaranteed upgrade, but lacks the size component of what Stein reported that Los Angeles would desire.
Getting it right is better than forcing the issue. That much is true. At some point, though, it is worth questioning how much caution shifts the approach from careful and calculated to careless and squandering.