There might not be a team in the NBA with a bleaker long-term outlook than the Los Angeles Lakers, especially after their disappointing 2-8 start to begin the 2022-23 campaign. They shipped off a plethora of first-round picks to put Anthony Davis beside LeBron James and it worked, as the Lakers won a championship in 2020. However, just two years later, the Lakers are in dire straits, and new head coach Darvin Ham knows just how discouraging the Lakers' current reality is.
After losing their third straight game in a 139-116 romp against the Utah Jazz, Ham told reporters that he knows that the only way the Lakers could play better is through internal improvements, as they are limited in the roster moves they could make given their present salary cap situation.
“We can’t go out and get people, we are already a repeat tax offender. We can’t spend money to build a team. We already have three big-time, first-ballot future Hall of Famers that a chuck of our budget is spent on and there’s only so much left,” Ham said, per ESPN. “We need to step up and play better.”
For reference, the Lakers are $60 million over the cap, as they're paying a grand total of $184 million for this season in player salaries alone (including dead cap hits). Of that $184 million figure, the Lakers are paying around $129 million combined to LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and Russell Westbrook. Moreover, they are slated to fork over an estimate of around $45 million in luxury tax, a number made worse by the fact that they have been over the luxury tax since 2020.
Simply put, the Lakers' financial situation means that they will have to ship the contracts presently in the roster if they were to look at acquiring quick fixes to stem the tide. Perhaps a Myles Turner trade has become even more enticing for the Lakers' front office, especially after the Indiana Pacers big man exploded for 37 points and 12 rebounds against the New Orleans Pelicans in his most recent effort.
However, the Lakers do not want to mortgage their entire future just to salvage whatever is left of this Lakers iteration, so it doesn't seem likely that any trade is imminent.
The Lakers will find that there is no rest for the weary, as they are set to face intracity rivals Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday night. Darvin Ham will need to find the magic words or the secret sauce within the next few days if the Lakers are still to make something out of what has been a disaster of a season thus far.
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