After a tulmutous December and January, many expected the Los Angeles Lakers to make moves at the 2024 trade deadline to improve the team's chances of winning the NBA Championship. The Lakers ultimately skirted those expectations, and instead did not make a single move at the deadline.
The only addition the Lakers made was signing the traded-and-waived Spencer Dinwiddie, who has not been very good since joining the team. Even though the Lakers did not make any additions, the team has played better as of late and if the trend continues, LA will be the team that nobody wants to see in the first round of the NBA Playoffs.
It looks like the Lakers made the right decision not to make any drastic moves at the deadline, especially when you compare the team to other fringe Western Conference teams. One of the more active teams in the West at the deadline was the Dallas Mavericks, who have started to crater despite making aggressive moves.
The Mavericks traded 2 1st Rd. Picks for PJ Washington (2027 1st, Top 2 Protected!!) & Daniel Gafford (2024 1st).
— Lakers Legacy (@LakersLegacyPod) March 6, 2024
They have lost 5 out of their last 6 games.
Sounds a lot like Lakers fans clamoring to trade the 2029 1st for Mid players just for the sake of “doing something”.
Mavericks are proving Lakers right for staying pat at the deadline
To be fair, things actually started off on a great note for the Mavericks after the trade deadline. Dallas won six games in a row heading into the 2024 All-Star Break with three of those winnings coming after the deadline. The instant reaction was that the Mavericks made smart moves to improve the team.
That has not been the read since the All-Star Break, however. Dallas is just 2-5 since the break and has lost four games in a row. It isn't just that Dallas is losing games, it is how the team is losing them. Three of the team's five losses since the break are by 17 or more points.
As it stands right now, the Mavericks are just half a game up on the Lakers with the arrow pointing in the wrong direction. Meanwhile, the Lakers' arrow is pointing in the right direction, so it would not be surprising to see the Lake Show overtake the Mavs and create a cushion between the two teams.
Even if the Lakers and Mavericks end up next to each other in the standings it still looks bad for Dallas. The Mavericks made all of those moves to improve, sacrificing several future draft picks just to be in the exact same boat as the Lakers.
It may have been frustrating in the moment but the Lakers clearly made the right call to stand pat at the deadline.