The Los Angeles Lakers have perhaps the NBA's brightest collection of stars in Luka Doncic, LeBron James, and Austin Reaves. They also have a .500 record and a bottom-five net efficiency rating since the beginning of December. That's a prime something's-gotta-give combo if I've ever seen one, and you'd think that thing—whatever it is—would give at some point between now and the Feb. 5 trade deadline.
Even if major moves aren't in the cards, this offense-leaning roster needs better balance, and this supporting cast could use more...well, support. That's why Rich Paul is hoping to see at least "some surface-level things" done to deepen this roster and better support these stars, as he said this week on the Game Over with Max Kellerman and Rich Paul podcast.
The Lakers can't take their high-end talent for granted.
The Lakers might have settled Doncic's future, but who knows what lies ahead for James (who turned 41 last month) and Reaves (who's effectively certain to hit unrestricted free agency after this season)? It could be a while before the proud Purple and Gold sport this much star power at the same time again.
That matters. Not only for the fans, but also for those running the front office. While this doesn't feel like the right time for an all-in push, the Lakers can't afford to snooze through trade season.
While James is finally starting to show his age a bit, Doncic is at the peak of his powers, and Reaves has never looked better. That trio alone makes it worth scouring the market for potential upgrades, provided they don't obliterate the budget (or would dramatically transform this team if they do).
A perimeter stopper is a longstanding need for this squad. Shot-making is another itch worth scratching. And if the Lakers have soured on the Deandre Ayton experiment, pursuing a big-man upgrade might be the move to make (though that might be more of an offseason task).
The specifics are less important then the general strategy of doing something. While this team appears more than one-trade-away from title contention, an inactive deadline would still be inexcusable.
Given the excitement around the 2026 draft class, this shouldn't be one of those trade markets where the allure of a Play-In Tournament invitation creates a shortage of sellers. In other words, L.A. should be able to find something of substance that it both needs and can afford.
It's on the top decision-makers to act, then. This roster's flaws aren't going away, but the Lakers can at least swing a deal or two that better mitigates their damage done.