The floodgates for NBA trades have certainly not opened up to their full capacity just yet. Even when they do, no one is really expecting the Los Angeles Lakers to do much. Every single NBA insider is singing a familiar tune about what this trade deadline will look like for the Hollywood franchise.
There will be no glitz. There will be no glam. The Lakers should be biding their time until the offseason to properly retool around Luka Doncic. The sentiment is familiar. The idea of Los Angeles staying quiet before Feb. 5 is not going anywhere.
Jake Fischer said the Lakers are not going to be aggressive during a livestream appearance for Bleacher Report. The NBA insider stood his ground on Rob Pelinka and company continuing to prioritize cap space for this offseason. Major improvements are not coming before Feb. 5. They are expected in June.
Brian Windhorst was caught singing a similar tune on a recent episode of The Hoop Collective. The ESPN insider believed the priority was going to be the summer of 2026. The looming cap space and potential trades would give the Lakers their opportunity to mold the team around Doncic.
All trade speculation is suggesting the Lakers will focus on the future
There is a continued pattern emerging with what NBA insiders have to say about the Lakers. For those who wanted an aggressive approach before the trade deadline, it sure sounds like it won't be coming.
The Lakers have a lot of talent on the roster now, but the pieces just don't quite fit what a group led by Doncic needs. The shooting is lackluster, the defense needs a major lift, and the frontcourt situation has not been solved in the slightest.
Pelinka brought new players into the mix during this past offseason, but the Lakers still largely resemble a team that was built for LeBron James and Anthony Davis. At the very least, the overlap from that era to the Doncic era is still evident.
The problem for the Lakers would be the need to completely leave that past era behind. The attitude appears to be that their best opportunity to do that will be in the 2026 offseason.
Doncic was giftwrapped for the Lakers. They have not been able to position themselves to maximize that gift just yet.
Impatience is quietly turning into frustration for a large chunk of the fanbase. No one wants to see Doncic's prime wasted. If this does prove to be a gap year, expectations will be extremely high in Los Angeles for what the offseason brings.