A notable Los Angeles Lakers insider has delivered an awful update on how the team’s various trade chips are negatively viewed around the NBA.
The Lakers organization is hoping the subtraction of former head coach Darvin Ham and replacing him with JJ Redick will make a big difference next season. The roster they had in 2023-24 was nearly the same as the group that went to the Western Conference Finals two years ago. That is why there was a great deal of confusion about their results in this year’s playoffs.
Related: Lakers game today – Watch time and channel for the Lakers next summer league game
Now, with Redick leading the way the expectations remain high for the team heading into next season. The goal this summer is still to find ways to improve the roster around stars Lebron James and Anthony Davis. And the organization has been linked to big trades for impact players.
While other organizations around the NBA have made some major moves this summer, the Los Angeles Lakers have been quiet on the trade block. On a Tuesday edition of the mailbag series on his YouTube page, The Athletic Lakers insider Jovan Buha revealed the concerning reason why the team has not done much this offseason.
“D’Angelo Russell and Jarred Vanderbilt, Gabe Vincent, Rui Hachimura, they have somewhere between neutral to negative trade value across the league,” Buha said. “There are certain teams that have interest in maybe one of those guys, but there are very few if any teams that have interest in multiple of those guys, and that’s ultimately been why the Lakers have been not able to find a deal.
Related: Joe Bryant, father of late Los Angeles Lakers great Kobe Bryant, dies at 69
“Then you have these [first-round] draft picks that have a lot of value, but everyone’s going to want at least one if not both, and then you also don’t have the roster flexibility to take on more contracts because you have a full roster,” he added. “The Lakers are in a tricky position.”
The Lakers might make a smaller move this summer, but a blockbuster deal for multi-time All-Stars like Zach LaVine and Trae Young looks very unlikely now.
