NBA Trade Rumors: According to a recent report, it seems as if the Los Angeles Lakers are moving against making a big move this season.
There isn’t anyone walking through the locker room door that is going to save the day for the Los Angeles Lakers at the moment. However, even after a rough start to the season, the hope was that the Lakers would make an in-season trade that would change their outlook. Russell Westbrook and two of the team’s future first-round picks were expected to be the centerpiece of any package.
Though, that may not be the case any longer. According to a recent report, the Lakers are moving away from the idea of using future first-round picks for an in-season trade. If that is indeed the case, that means there’s a good chance the Lakers don’t end up making any in-season trades. And that they probably are perfectly fine with wasting another season.
What this means for the Los Angeles Lakers as a whole
If the Lakers are inching closer to this decision, that means the team’s hope is waning on whether or not they could turn this season around. Objectively, there’s not a lot to like about the Lakers’ shaky start to the season.
At the moment, the Lakers are 2-8 and already 4.5 games back of a top 6 seed in the Western Conference. Even with the decision to bring Westbrook off the bench, the Lakers haven’t drastically improved. LeBron James is showing signs of slowing down and Anthony Davis continues to be a concern when it comes to injuries.
Even if the Lakers can slightly turn their season around, it’s difficult to envision this team playing any sort of factor in the playoffs. My gut tells me that the Lakers had hoped the team would improve slightly simply off the basis of being healthy. An in-season trade could’ve perhaps allowed the Lakers to take another step forward, perhaps into contention.
That hasn’t been the case thus far and the Lakers aren’t close. And if they aren’t close, would it really be worth it to move two future first-round picks in a deal that may or may not make them competitive in the West?
The Lakers have some big decisions to make over the next few weeks and if they can’t drastically improve their play, it wouldn’t be all that surprising if the team elected to pass on the season. This recent report makes that pretty clear.