It’s officially official. The Los Angeles Lakers are not going to find a difference-maker ahead of Thursday’s NBA trade deadline.
Linked to Kyrie Irving over the past couple days after the All-Star requested a trade from the Brooklyn Nets, Los Angeles missed out on the guard. Sunday’s report that the Dallas Mavericks have pulled off a blockbuster for the NBA champion really has the Lakers back at square one.
There were multiple issues with Los Angeles being able to reunite Irving with LeBron James. Among them is the status of impending free agent Russell Westbrook. In short, Brooklyn had no interest in Westbrook as the central part heading back to the Big Apple in an Irving deal.
This is going to be a continued problem for general manager Rob Pelinka and the Lakers heading into Thursday’s NBA trade deadline. Despite being in the midst of a bounce-back 2022-23 season, Westbrook is not seen as a positive asset in trade talks. Add in Los Angeles’ lack of young players, and this complicates thing big time for the Lakers.
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Los Angeles Lakers NBA trade deadline plans now nixed
Irving was the best player available on the trade market. In fact, it wasn’t necessarily that close. There’s been some talk of Chicago Bulls stars DeMar DeRozan and Zach LaVine being available ahead of the deadline.
We’re just not seeing it. First off, neither player will be shipped to Los Angeles with Westbrook acting as the main component heading to Chicago. Even if the Lakers offer up their two available first-round picks (2026 and 2028), it wouldn’t be enough unless both come unprotected. This is something Los Angeles’ brass has not been willing to do as it prepares for the post-LeBron era.
The Toronto Raptors are demanding a king’s ransom in OG Anunoby trade talks. Said asking price starts at three first-round picks. The Los Angeles Lakers don’t even have that to offer up.
Outside of these three, we’re not seeing anyone on the market that can help the Lakers turn things around. They head into this week’s action at 25-29 on the season and with the third-worst record in the Western Conference.
Bojan Bogdanovic, Jakob Poeltl, Mike Conley and Jae Crowder wouldn’t change the dynamics too much with the Lakers. Not only would LeBron and Co. miss out on the play-in tournament if the season ended today, they just aren’t on the same level as top-end Western Conference title contenders such as the Denver Nuggets and Memphsis Grizzlies. Irving being shipped to a conference rival also doesn’t help matters.
The addition of Rui Hachimura in a smaller-scale trade has not necessarily righted the ship in Los Angeles, either. The Lakers are 3-4 since they pulled off that trade with the Washington Wizards.
In short, the Lakers are now back at square one following the Irving blockbuster on Sunday. Unless Pelinka can pull a rabbit out of his hat, the remainder of the season will be spent focusing on James’ chase for history and a potential bottom-end playoff spot.
After that, the summer will be headlined by major question marks about the direction of the Lakers’ organization and James’ future in the purple and gold. After all, the all-time great has made it clear that the status quo is not working in Lakerland.
“I don’t want to finish my career playing at this level, from a team aspect. I want to still be able to compete for championships because I know what I can still bring to any ballclub with the right pieces.”
LeBron James on Los Angeles Lakers struggles from late-December
Dating back a calendar year, Los Angeles boasts a 32-50 record. That’s obviously not sustainable for a player in James who remains at the top of his game.
Unfortunately, there’s no real quick turnaround possible in Los Angeles after the team struck out on Irving. That’s the harsh reality of the situation.