The Los Angeles Lakers are in a period of evaluation after making their first major trade in nearly two years. They are gauging what their roster looks like with two new players before determining if they need to make more moves. If they do choose that path, their treasure chest of assets isn’t all that deep.
On the players side, they have plenty of ancillary salary that does not carry much value by itself. And after giving three second-round picks to the Brooklyn Nets, they are down to two second-rounders and two first-rounders with limited protection ability to use at this deadline.
If the Lakers wanted to make a major splash, it would almost certainly require parting ways with players like Rui Hachimura and standout rookie Dalton Knecht. But according to Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report, that may not be something the team wants to do at this time:
“Competing executives have also told B/R that the Lakers (at least to date) have shown no interest in discussing trades that include Rui Hachimura or Dalton Knecht (or, obviously, LeBron James, Anthony Davis, Austin Reaves, Bronny James, etc.).”
This report shows that the Lakers may not be willing to do any sort of major trade, and that any improvements from here on out this season will be marginal ones that they can afford. Taking Hachimura, Knecht and the main core of the roster off the block severely limits the types of trades the Lakers can compete for.
The hope is that the additions of Dorian Finney-Smith and Shake Milton make the Lakers competitive enough that one or two more marginal moves may be all the team needs. But that’s up to general manager Rob Pelinka to decide as he continues to evaluate the slightly altered roster leading up to the deadline.
Bradley Beal would waive no-trade clause for Lakers
After trading away D’Angelo Russell in the deal with Brooklyn that acquired Finney-Smith, the Lakers are down one scoring guard. Austin Reaves is taking on the bulk of that responsibility, but having a little more scoring punch in the backcourt could be helpful.
On the surface, one option that might appear intriguing is Phoenix Suns guard Bradley Beal, who would reportedly waive his no-trade clause for the Lakers. But mathematically, making a deal happen with the Suns for Beal would be nearly impossible, especially if someone like Hachimura is off the table for L.A.
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