The Los Angeles Lakers have struggled throughout the month of December and it has big implications for the team's future plans. With the Lakers struggling so much, it feels like a guarantee that the team will make some kind of change at the 2024 trade deadline to boost the roster.
The situation is not quite as drastic as a year ago with Russell Westbrook but it is clear that this team needs change. If the Lakers are going to compete with the best of the best in the NBA then the team absolutely has to look at making external improvements.
That, obviously, means that certain players are going to be shipped out. While there are quite a few players who could end up being part of a package, there are three players, in particular, who will definitely be traded.
The Lakers will definitely trade D'Angelo Russell
We told Lake Show Life readers before the season that D'Angelo Russell's new deal with the team was all but confirming that he would be traded at some point during the season. Now that we have turned the calendar into the new year, that feels like a guarantee.
Just look at how Darvin Ham has handled Russell in the rotation this season. Russell's offensive role started to take a huge dip and that eventually led to him getting booted from the starting rotation. This feels like a team preparing to move him for an upgrade at the deadline.
Russell's contract is extremely tradeable as it is less than $20 million and has a player option for next season. A team can either bring him in simply as a matching salary in a bigger trade, or a team like the San Antonio Spurs could even bring him in to play starting point guard.
Regardless, it would be extremely surprising if D'Lo was not dealt before the 2024 trade deadline.
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