As they have labored through overlapping injuries and inconsistent play, the Los Angeles Lakers have enough of a sample size to draw definitive conclusions about their current team.
LeBron James and Anthony Davis stayed consistently durable and dominant. Yet, that has not led to consistent wins. Most of the team’s current group proved good enough to help the Lakers advance to the Western Conference Finals last season. Yet, they haven’t shown many signs they can replicate such a run in the 2024 playoffs. The Lakers (22-23) technically have a whole second half of the season to improve their ninth-place standing in the Western Conference. Yet, they appear unlikely to do so without making significant roster changes.
As the NBA’s Feb. 8 trade deadline approaches, however, the Lakers should not make big swings at the plate. Instead, they should try to hit singles and doubles. That approach may not enable them to hit anything out of the park. If the Lakers decide to swing big, however, they could risk either striking out at best or disrupting the entire batting order at worst.
Don’t interpret this suggestion that the Lakers shouldn’t try to field the best roster around James in hopes he can win his fifth NBA championship or that the Lakers shouldn’t even bother to try to eclipse the hated Boston Celtics for the NBA’s record for most NBA championships (17). Don’t believe this implies the Lakers should worry more about trimming their luxury tax bill than spend to field their best product. Don’t think this means the Lakers should focus more on their long-term draft picks than their short-term championship window.
The Lakers should try to upgrade their roster. They have plenty of areas to address leading into the trade deadline. They need to improve their 3-point shooting and defense. They need more defensive reinforcements to help Davis. Too bad the Lakers don’t have enough assets, however, to secure enough players to fill those needs.
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Los Angeles Lakers trade dilemma
Just like when they had Russell Westbrook before last year’s trade deadline, the Lakers should be leery on how acquiring a third star could create more problems than solve them.
It sounds nice for the Lakers to pursue either the Bulls’ Zach LaVine, DeMar DeRozan or Alex Caruso. LaVine would give the Lakers a dependable playmaker. DeRozan would give the Lakers an additional scorer. Caruso would give the Lakers a fan favorite that provides all the intangibles. Yet, the Lakers are unlikely to have anything the Bulls would want even if decide to blow up part or all of their core roster. If they did, the Lakers would have a third star at the expense of any roster depth to account for injuries and reinforcements.
Unlike when they dealt Westbrook last season to bolster their roster depth, the Lakers don’t have a third star that can land them a handful of serviceable players.
It sounds nice for the Lakers to pursue Hawks guard Dejounte Murray. But why would the Hawks take back D’Angelo Russell when they already have a proven point guard that can score and create on his own in Trae Young? Instead, Atlanta may want any combination of Austin Reaves, Rui Hachimura and a future first-round pick. But why would the Lakers already part ways with a home-grown talent (Reaves), a versatile wing (Hachimura) and a future first-round pick that could be more valuable in either next year’s draft or in free agency?
Maximizing LeBron James’ championship window
So long as James remains on their roster and plays at a high level, the Lakers should worry more about maximizing his window than preparing for their future. Therefore, the Lakers should be willing to part ways with their first-round pick in any deals. Considering the Lakers will have three future first-round picks on the day of the actual draft, however, they likely could make bigger roster moves this offseason than before the trade deadline.
So how can the Lakers climb through their closing championship window? It’s not the ideal choice, but it is the most realistic one. They have to mostly improve from within.
It might be unrealistic and unfair to expect James to stay durable at 39 years old in his 21st NBA season. Same thing with Davis considering his extensive injury history. To their credit, though, James and Davis have stayed mostly available and productive partly because they have stayed disciplined with their training and recovery regimen.
It might seem unlikely that Russell, Reaves and Hachimura can suddenly blossom into star players. With their inconsistency partly stemmed from overlapping injuries and starting lineups, they are likely to play more consistently than they did in the first half of the season.
Does that make them NBA title favorites? No way. Denver has more depth. Oklahoma City and Minnesota have more youth. The Clippers have more chemistry. Even if James and Davis will field concerns about their health, however, they have become more valuable than the stars on the Phoenix Suns, Dallas Mavericks and New Orleans Pelicans. Even if the Lakers would not be favored to challenge the Western Conference’s top teams, they more likely to succeed by leaning on the chemistry that sparked last year’s playoff run than relying on new roster pieces that have little time to fit. After all, it has been enough to collect quality wins against the Clippers, Oklahoma City, Phoenix and Dallas.
That reality might not sit well with a franchise (Lakers) and its star (James) that want to collect another Larry O’Brien trophy. Even if the trade deadline theoretically presents an opportunity to address their wish list, however, the Lakers appear more likely to succeed with what they have than with what they want.
Mark Medina is an NBA insider for Sportsnaut. Follow him on X, Instagram, Facebook and Threads.