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As the Los Angeles Lakers are approaching 60 games played already on their campaign, the problems have been the same ever since the start of the season. The most-talked about franchise in the association has been the main topic of all the scrutiny ranging from the acquisition of Russell Westbrook or the subpar coaching performance from Frank Vogel.
It is easy for Westbrook or Vogel to be labelled as the scapegoat for their abysmal performance, but it is not solely just their fault. People must understand that Vogel was the coach of this L.A. squad when they won the championship in the bubble last 2020. On the other hand, Westbrook's addition to the roster limited their flexibility and chance to keep some of their key assets like Alex Caruso and Kyle Kuzma.
Westbrook's salary is at $44 million this year and $47 million next year which is tough for the salary cap for a team that already has LeBron James and Anthony Davis on the roster. Westbrook's addition was through the initiative of Lakers General Manager Rob Pelinka with the blessing from superstars James and Davis. With this move, it limited their ability to only have two players who are not paid at the minimum salary.
Talen Horton-Tucker, Kendrick Nunn, and their 2027 first round pick were their only tradable pieces before the deadline, which was not intriguing for any organization that was active on the market. Horton-Tucker was reportedly offered to a plethora of teams like the Boston Celtics or Toronto Raptors, while it was insurmountable to trade Nunn because he has not even played a single game this season.
With Pelinka and the front office already committing the questionable mistakes in the offseason, he had little breathing room and plausible movements before the trade deadline. There were fringe changes he could have done like adding Cam Reddish or Alec Burks from the New York Knicks, but that did not pull through. With Vogel known for his defensive philosophy and principles, their lineup lacks guys who could excel on that aspect.
Letting Caruso, Kuzma, Danny Green, and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope walk was a surprising change because these four men are incredible defenders and dependable outside shooters. Instead, they signed players who can only either shoot well from long distance or play defense but not both. With the roster construction far from being a legitimate championship contender, it is tough for James, Davis, and Westbrook to mesh with their teammates.
Even with the aforementioned blunders with the poor offseason signings, the inability of Pelinka to even do one small trade in bolstering their defensive unit could have been done. The Lakers are reportedly focusing on acquiring talent through the buyout market, which would be a tough job because the options would be vastly limited.
Dave McMenamin reported on NBA Today that the Lakers are interested in ex-Laker Dennis Schroder, Portland Trail Blazers guard Eric Bledsoe, or former Brooklyn Nets forward DeAndre' Bembry. If they plan to sign any of these individuals, someone like DeAndre Jordan or Kent Bazemore would need to be waived to create a roster spot for the new signings. It could be a whole new change of scenery and environment in the locker room, but it is not a guaranteed upgrade for this Lakers squad.
With that in mind, the championship aspirations of the Lakers fans continue to dwindle day-by-day as their competitors in the Western Conference continues to create a larger gap in the standings.
