Dec. 15 was the date in which players who signed contracts this past offseason are now eligible to be traded, meaning the unofficial start to NBA trade season is kicking off. Of course many eyes will be on Rob Pelinka and the Los Angeles Lakers’ front office to make a move or two to help bolster their roster.
The team’s play so far this season certainly indicates that they are far from the championship contender they want to be with LeBron James and Anthony Davis as their core foundation. And according to Jovan Buha of The Athletic, the Lakers are expected to be active heading into this year’s trade deadline:
The Los Angeles Lakers are expected to be one of the more active buyers leading into the Feb. 6 trade deadline as they try to maximize the final seasons of the LeBron James–Anthony Davis partnership.
Rumors have been surrounding the Lakers since the offseason on different moves the team could be looking to make and players they could potentially acquire. But it is unclear just how big a move the team is willing to make and how much draft capital the Lakers are willing to part with:
Yes. At least that’s the operating assumption around the league. However, the magnitude of the move is unclear given the uncertainty of how much draft capital the Lakers are willing to use in a trade, according to team and league sources.
It’s worth noting that many expected the Lakers to make a move last season ahead of the trade deadline, and they stood pat. The closest they got was talks with Atlanta for Dejounte Murray, though Atlanta’s insistence on Austin Reaves being in the trade was a sticking point at the time for the Lakers, as The Athletic previously reported.
Pelinka said at media day that he wanted to evaluate the team after the 30-game mark. The Lakers play their 30th game of the season on Christmas Day at Golden State. The Lakers’ recent skid — they’ve lost eight of 12 games — hasn’t exactly been a ringing endorsement for investing in this group. The results in the next few weeks will determine how much pressure is on the front office to upgrade this roster.
The Lakers find themselves in a very difficult situation as they obviously want to compete right now, but are wary of mortgaging their future with the end of LeBron James’ career so close. There is no doubt Pelinka and the Lakers front office are willing to part with the assets needed in a move that would truly make them a contender. But they don’t wanna overpay for a middling move and teams are going to try and get as much as they can from the Lakers in any deal.
Anthony Davis believes defense is key for Lakers going forward
One player who won’t be getting moved by Rob Pelinka without a doubt is superstar big man Anthony Davis. Davis is simply focused on what this Lakers team can accomplish as currently constructed and feels that defense and being physical is key for this team.
“Just playing hard,” Davis added. “We’re playing physical on the string, we’re flying around. We’re covering for each other. Once we do those things, it makes it easier for us defensively to get in the ball, to rebound, to communicate when you know you have protection if you get beat or blow by, closeout, whatever it is. So when we’re on the string, and we’re together, we’re a pretty good defensive team.”
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