Heading into the season the Los Angeles Lakers were considered to be a near-lock to make the playoffs, but as of this writing, they currently sit two spots out of the eighth in the Western Conference standings.
The injury big has been the primary culprit, with essentially every key player having missed large chunks of time. Specifically, LeBron James, Kyle Kuzma, Lonzo Ball, Brandon Ingram, JaVale McGee, Josh Hart and Rajon Rondo.
Despite this, the Lakers still has a chance to make the playoffs, and on this episode of the LN Podcast host Trevor Lane is joined by ESPN’s Allen Sliwa to discuss the needed push to do so. There are a number of things that need to go right for the Lakers, including some big, must-win games against the Sacramento Kings and Clippers, two teams they are chasing in the standings.
Could the Lakers get a boost by signing a player from the buyout market? With names like Markieff Morris, Enes Kanter, and Carmelo Anthony available, it’s possible that someone added now could end up being a major part of the rotation for the remainder of the season.
Additionally, now that the trade deadline has come and gone, we dig into the two deals the team made. Was the trade for Reggie Bullock a stroke of genius or was Svi Mykhailiuk and a second-round pick too steep of a price to pay?
And what were the Lakers thinking shipping out promising young center Ivica Zubac and Michael Beasley to the Clippers in exchange for reserve big man Mike Muscala?
Furthermore, there were new tampering charges being brought against the Lakers in what appeared to be miscommunication.
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