The Los Angeles Lakers currently sit at 21-11 and in fifth place in the Western Conference standings. Although the Lakers reportedly would like try and upgrade the roster by the NBA trade deadline and acquire a true 3&D wing player, there are obstacles working against that, as per longtime NBA insider Marc Stein.
The first obstacle in the Lakers’ way in terms of making a trade to upgrade the roster by the deadline is the lack of available wings who can make an impact on both ends of the court. The Lakers reportedly have New Orleans Pelicans wings Herb Jones and Trey Murphy III on their radar, but the Pelicans have not shown any indication that they’re willing to entertain trade offers for either.
The other obstacle that the Lakers face is the looming possibility of sacrificing cap flexibility in the future for an immediate upgrade. As Stein reports, the Lakers are reportedly not opposed to sacrificing financial room this coming offseason, if they could land a true difference-maker by the deadline. And the only issue with that goes back to the first point, that type of player might not be available.
The Lakers aren’t going to make a trade for the sake of making a trade. Last season, the team was able to make two major trades in-season. The first was acquiring Dorian Finney-Smith and Shake Milton in exchange for D’Angelo Russell, Maxwell Lewis and multiple second round picks. The second was the major blockbuster sending Anthony Davis, Max Christie and a first round pick to the Dallas Mavericks for Luka Doncic, Maxi Kleber and Markieff Morris.
The Lakers also had a third trade agreed upon in principal, sending Dalton Knecht, Cam Reddish and multiple draft picks for Mark Williams. That trade, however, was rescinded after concerns about Williams’ health.
The Lakers managed to upgrade the roster via free agency with the additions of Deandre Ayton, Marcus Smart and Jake LaRavia, but they still aren’t at true contender status.
