The Los Angeles Lakers’ win against the Denver Nuggets proved costly as they saw Anthony Davis leave in the second quarter due to a foot injury.
Although it didn’t look serious at the time, reports have the Lakers bracing for Davis to miss at least one month. Losing the star big man for a month or longer puts a serious damper on their playoff push as he’s been their best player during the 2022-23 season.
With Davis sidelined for the foreseeable future, the front office may take a step back when it comes to trade talks. However, head coach Darvin Ham seems to believe that the organization’s approach to the trade deadline doesn’t change.
“I don’t think so. I think with or without AD, you’re constantly looking, it would be juvenile to think that all 30 teams aren’t looking for different ways to improve their team, improve their roster. It’s a business, it’s professional sports. You’re constantly trying to get better, from personnel moves all up and down the organization. So it’s one of those things that’s a necessary process but I don’t think AD being in the lineup or out of the lineup affects that one bit. That’s just the nature of the business.”
LeBron James was asked a similar question after Sunday night’s game, although he didn’t have much of an answer.
“Not a question for me. I have no idea,” James said. “I’m playing, I show up. Prepare, work, go to work. Get my guys ready to go win a basketball game. I play the game, I’m not in the front office. We’ll see, but I’m focused on the game, and that’s trying to win basketball games, especially when I’m out on the floor.”
The Lakers have been one of the most active teams in the league, linked to numerous players who can either shoot or defend on the wing. The Lakers have the contracts of Patrick Beverley and Kendrick Nunn to trade, as well as Russell Westbrook though the former MVP has been key to their better play as of late.
Los Angeles has been patient up to this point as the rest of the league evaluates their own rosters, but if they’re serious about a postseason run, Rob Pelinka would be best served making a move sooner rather than later.
Darvin Ham on rotations with Anthony Davis out
Injuries have made it difficult for Ham and his staff to really evaluate the team, but that becomes a bigger challenge with Davis out of the lineup. As far as how his rotations will be affected, Ham said he’d look to shuffle around some players and experiment.
“We have some players that we can move around. We’ll be getting Wenyen back here pretty soon, so it’s a soft plan that we can always pivot off of. We have some guys that we’re very, very confident in and we’ll mix and match them and see what happens.”
Have you subscribed to our YouTube channel? It’s the best way to watch player interviews, exclusive coverage from events, participate in live shows, and more!
