The Denver Nuggets and Los Angeles Lakers are eerily similar teams. Both have won championships since 2020, each made an additional trip to the Western Conference Finals during that time, and the top player on both squads is a big man who's destined to be in the Hall of Fame.
Unfortunately, they're also two teams that have invested heavily in their current core, have question marks surrounding their No. 2 players, and are now looking for in-season trades to fix their issues.
For as similar as the Lakers and Nuggets are, the key difference must be established during the 2024-25 season. More specifically, it must be thoroughly proven how different the two sides are ahead of the 2025 NBA trade deadline—which Denver already has a plan for.
According to Tony James and Sam Amick of The Athletic, the Nuggets are interested in improving their roster by acquiring a high-level scoring threat.
"As a result, the Nuggets have either expressed interest in, or have had preliminary trade discussions on the following players: Chicago’s Zach LaVine, Washington’s Jordan Poole, Utah’s Jordan Clarkson, Atlanta’s De’Andre Hunter, Brooklyn’s Cam Johnson and Washington’s Jonas Valančiūnas."
It's understandable for Denver to be vying for a player who can provide consistent offense, but the Lakers must not allow this report to force them to lose focus on the bigger picture.
Rival Nuggets may be eyeing a scorer, but Lakers have different needs
Keeping up with the Nuggets has become an unofficial goal for the Lakers. They've met in the playoffs on three different occasions since 2020, with Denver winning the past two series by a devastating margin of 8-1.
For as tempting as it would be for the Lakers to try to keep pace with the team they can't overcome by adding a piece to match whatever the Nuggets acquire, they must avoid that temptation.
For as similar as they may be, Denver and Los Angeles simply have different needs. Anthony Davis and Nikola Jokic have all but incomparable strengths and weaknesses, the supporting cast operates in a functionally dissimilar manner, and the long-term outlook for both franchises varies.
Denver is pondering whether or not Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr. can be the scorers they're paid to be, while Los Angeles desperately needs to find a path to improvement on defense.
The Nuggets have their own issues on defense, but they rank No. 15 in defensive rating, while the Lakers are No. 24. Furthermore, Jokic is a walking bucket who can create at will for himself and others, but Denver is concerned they can't adequately support him on offense.
Los Angeles should view their own situation in a similar, but decidedly different light: Davis is one of the best defensive players in the world, yet his supporting cast has been nothing short of abhorrent.
Supporting the strengths and weaknesses of the franchise player is the name of the game in team-building. Pretending they're identical for the sake of defeating a rival would be tantamount to sacrificing Davis' championship ambitions in Los Angeles.
It's easy to confuse keeping pace with a rival with making identical improvements, but the Lakers must remember that they have different needs than the Nuggets if they're going to achieve meaningful growth.