There is every reason to believe that the mediocre Los Angeles Lakers will be active ahead of the Feb. 8 NBA trade deadline. Head coach Darvin Ham even touched on this earlier in January, clearly indicating that they are being proactive behind the scenes.
Whether the 22-22 Lakers can find a needle-mover with their current lack of assets remains to be seen. They have been linked to Atlanta Hawks All-Star guard Dejounte Murray. But with only one future first-round pick to offer up in-season, that possibility remains questionable.
What we do know is that the status quo for LeBron James and the Lakers is not necessarily working right now. They are ninth in the Western Conference and nowhere near top-end title contenders.
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There is now a real chance that general manager Rob Pelinka and Co. will look to let the remainder of the 2023-24 season play out without making a major move. This would set the Lakers up to be in position to add a star player during the summer.
ESPN’s Dave McMenamin reportedly recently that the Lakers are talking internally about packaging three first-round picks and players in exchange for either Cleveland Cavaliers star guard Donovan Mitchell or Trae Young of the Atlanta Hawks.
The Lakers would have to wait until the 2024 NBA Draft to actually pull off a trade of this magnitude. That’s when they’ll be able to offer up three future first-rounders.
Though, this still seems to be a pie-in-the-sky thought. Cleveland currently finds itself at 26-15 on the season and as the fourth seed in the Eastern Conference. Atlanta has shown no real willingness to deal young despite continued team-wide struggles (18-25 this season).
Things could change dramatically during the summer. Mitchell would have just one year remaining on his contract barring an extension with the Cavaliers. Meanwhile, Atlanta might just decide it’s time to blow things up given its continued struggles.
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Whether it’s over the next couple weeks ahead of the NBA trade deadline or during the summer, the Lakers will be put under pressure by King James to make a big splash. He’s not going to finish up his legendary career on a mediocre team.
The question here is whether James understands the Lakers’ current situation. The best chance they have of pulling off a blockbuster trade will be this summer, not ahead of Feb. 8.