The 2024 NBA trade deadline has become an all-encompassing story within the Los Angeles Lakers over the past few weeks. While head coach Darvin Ham has remained confident that L.A. can contend with what they have currently, nearly every Laker has had their name involved in some type of rumor recently.
D’Angelo Russell has especially been at the forefront, with his name being mentioned in nearly every rumor.
Despite that, the Lakers have been playing some of their best basketball of the season. That includes Russell, who has been an offensive force since returning to the starting lineup. Ham put Russell back in the starting lineup next to Austin Reaves six games ago, and the results have been immediate. And while Russell may be fighting to stay in L.A., results are results nonetheless.
With that, Ham has had to deal with plenty of uncertainty amid all the trade rumors. And he spoke about what it’s like being in a locker room where nearly every name is openly on the block.
“At the end of the day, we’re all human. We’re focused on what we have in our locker room and the job we have to do to have some success with our group as it currently stands. All of the chatter, this, that and the third, is getting out of control,” Ham said. “As opposed to back in the day when I first came in the league and you had to pick up a newspaper or turn on the television, everything is coming straight to your phone so it’s pretty much unescapable.
“But with that said, our guys for the most part have been professional and understand that it’s a part of the business. It can get messy at times, but it’s part of the business. So you just have to lock in with your group, whatever happens, happens. We can’t control it and waste energy and time trying to worry about it. You have to be the best professional you can be, be locked in with your group and just work and try to get better every day.”
Ham admitted that the Lakers should do whatever they feel will improve their team in the long-term, but looked back on the In-Season Tournament as proof of what L.A. is when they are at their best.
“I mean, anytime there’s an availability to get better, I think you have to do your due diligence,” Ham said. “I think we’ve shown that we can definitely play at a high level when we have guys available. People have mixed feelings about the In-Season Tournament, but those are some highly contested games and the way our group came together for those games, particularly in Vegas, the way we won, it was kind of an enigma, the game with New Orleans, but then you face a young, hot Indiana team. The way we handled both of those matchups, I think when we all come together and are on the same page, the sky is the limit.
“We can’t play fantasy basketball. But with that said, I have all the faith and confidence in the world that when we’re healthy and we’re playing the right way, competing at a high level defensively, sharing the ball offensively, the sky is the limit. A lot of different things go into the process of getting to that point, again, we can’t skip any steps. But to sit and think you have an opportunity to get better and you’re not gonna explore it, you’re being naive.”
Ham wanted to get away from needing to have individual conversations with players about trade rumors, as they all know the nature of the business and have been professionals despite the ongoing chatter.
“Not really, man,” Ham said when asked if he has individual conversations with players about rumors. “We got enough on our plate trying to get this thing right with what we have. I think that’s disingenuous because the thing I tell everyone is to be a pro, first and foremost. It’s like being part of a Fortune 500 company that has a headquarters, which they ultimately have different regional offices everywhere. The NBA is built similar. You have a headquarters in New York where Adam (Silver) and those guys, Joe [Dumars] and everybody, Mark Tatum, all those guys congregate and make the decisions for the entirety of the league. But you have these regional locations in terms of where the teams are located.
“We all ultimately work for that brand in the NBA. So I don’t know too many guys that have been able to stay in one place their whole career, I don’t know many coaches that have been able to coach in the same location their entire career. You have to be a professional and about your work. You can’t be caught up in all the bullshit that you guys are putting out. No offense, but I’m just saying, all the innuendos, you don’t know what’s true, unnamed sources, rival league exec, rival NBA coach or rival player… It’s like again, what the hell is going on? These things are being picked up and carried like they’re the absolute truth. I just focus on my guys, myself, my staff, being professional. That’s all we can control, is being professional, being about the work and try to be the best versions of ourselves every day.”
The Lakers may or may not make big moves at the trade deadline. But until that day comes, every player has to continue playing winning basketball and not focus on the outside noise.
Lakers coach Darvin Ham discusses impact of Kobe Bryant
On the anniversary of his tragic death, Darvin Ham opened up about his experience working with Lakers legend Kobe Bryant and what he took away from him.
“Coming into the league around the same time and playing against him, coaching him, really knowing him from a competitive standpoint,” Ham said. “Just his passion to conquer whatever he involved himself in. He wanted to conquer it. His documentaries, his books, basketball, all of that. The plan he was about to unveil for women’s basketball, all of that. Anything he wanted to get involved in, he wanted to be the best at.
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